The advisory group, part of the government’s vaccine policy structure that helps shape national immunisation guidance, had been considering a deeper review of mRNA Covid vaccines for months. Several members had raised questions about the safety and production of the vaccines despite extensive scientific research showing they are effective and safe for preventing severe illness.

 

According to reporting by The Guardian, political pressure played a role in the decision to retreat. Republican allies and advisers were reportedly concerned that a push to withdraw federal guidance on the vaccines could have negative political consequences ahead of the midterm elections, particularly as vaccine policy remains a sensitive issue among voters.

 

The panel had previously considered whether to end broad federal recommendations for mRNA Covid vaccines and shift the decision entirely to individual clinicians and patients. However, the committee ultimately maintained its existing stance, which allows vaccination to proceed under a “shared clinical decision-making” model between doctors and patients.

 

Emily Hilliard, press secretary for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the committee had not altered the policy adopted last year.

 

“The committee has not reconsidered its September 2025 decision to classify Covid vaccines under shared clinical decision-making on the CDC immunisation schedules,” Hilliard told The Guardian. She added that the US Food and Drug Administration and the advisory committee remain aligned in their approach to approving vaccines for high-risk groups while leaving final decisions to clinicians and patients.

 

Public health experts have criticised the earlier push for a sweeping review, arguing it risked undermining confidence in widely studied vaccines. Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert and professor at UC Law San Francisco, said the shift reflects growing political caution within the administration.

 

“The administration does not want to create more controversy around vaccines,” Reiss told The Guardian. “Most voters are not on board with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda,” Reiss added. 

 

Reiss also argued that some members of the advisory committee had stepped beyond their traditional role, which is to guide vaccine recommendations rather than influence broader regulatory or insurance decisions.

 

The decision to pause the review highlights how vaccine policy in the United States has become increasingly entangled with political considerations, even as scientists continue to emphasise the strong evidence supporting mRNA Covid vaccines.