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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee on Monday, pledging to replace them with his own selections, a move that has drawn criticism from public health officials.The advisory committee reviews the safety, effectiveness, and medical need for vaccines and makes recommendations to the CDC, which shapes national guidelines. These guidelines determine who gets vaccinated, when, and how many doses are needed, and insurers rely on them to decide which vaccines to cover.“A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science," Secretary Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. "The committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine."Former panel member Noel Brewer at the University of North Carolina said he and other committee members received an email late Monday afternoon that said their services on the committee had been terminated, but gave no reason.“I’d assumed I’d continue serving on the committee for my full term,” said Brewer, who joined the panel last summer.Brewer is a behavioral scientist whose research examines why people get vaccinated and ways to improve vaccination coverage. Whether people get vaccinated is largely influenced by what their doctors recommend, and doctors have been following ACIP guidance.Sec. Kennedy already took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the committee, a move criticized by doctors’ groups and public health advocates.Sec. Kennedy said the committee members had too many conflicts of interest. Currently, committee members are required to declare any potential such conflicts, as well as business interests, that arise during their tenure. They also must disclose any possible conflicts at the start of each public meeting.Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said he worries the committee could be stacked with people "who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion." He has been in touch with Secretary Kennedy and plans to keep talking.The panel is scheduled to meet again in two weeks, and Secretary Kennedy will need to name new members by then. The selection process is up to the discretion of the administration and Secretary Kennedy, although the entire current roster of committee members were Biden appointees.