ACP Guides Members and Continues to Speak Out Against Actions by HHS Secretary Kennedy

The College has published its first-ever vaccine recommendations for the 2025-2026 flu season

Nov. 21, 2025 (ACP) -- Amid changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and vaccine policies, the American College of Physicians is offering its own guidance to members and continues to pursue legal action against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACP is part of a coalition that is suing Kennedy, alleging that his actions have undermined evidence-based immunization policy. In June, he dismissed all 17 members of ACIP and appointed replacements, some of whom have historically had antivaccine viewpoints. Under his leadership, HHS also changed COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women.

“The secretary's actions are arbitrary and capricious,” said Dr. Jason Goldman, president of ACP. “He has undermined confidence in vaccines and decreased access to care and solid scientific recommendation.”

Goldman said the core issue is the process behind the guidance. “There's no rigorous scientific process for how these recommendations are made,” he said.

The coalition recently updated the lawsuit, which now demands that ACIP be disbanded and reformed under court supervision and that all decisions made by the current committee be declared null and void.

ACP also released its first-ever guidance on influenza vaccination in practice points published Nov. 18 in Annals of Internal Medicine. “Guidelines require a tremendous amount of work,” Goldman said. “But Secretary Kennedy's vaccine committee cannot be trusted. We had to step in to offer guidance to our physicians and our patients.”

The guidelines focus on adults who are not pregnant or immunocompromised with guidance that Goldman describes as “living practice points” -- specific, data-supported directives that clinicians can apply directly in practice.

“We don't just give bullet points. We also go into great detail about why -- the depth and breadth of information we reviewed to be able to come up with the recommendations,” he said.

The recommendations are part of a broader effort that also includes forthcoming guidance on COVID-19 and RSV vaccines.

Goldman emphasized that ACP's internal process includes strict conflict-of-interest policies and independent review of data before any recommendation is issued. “We cannot just make a recommendation based on expert opinion,” he said. “We have to be able to support it. That's why we don't automatically sign off on the recommendations of other societies.”

Moving forward, ACP plans to offer more guidance about medical matters and will continue to speak out about concerns with current health policy.

“We're very concerned about the vaccine hesitancy, the erosion of trust in vaccines and the destruction of our public health infrastructure,” Goldman said. “We are calling on the president and the Senate to remove and replace Secretary Kennedy with someone who can be trusted to ensure the health of the public.”

ACP members can find more vaccine resources on the ACP Immunization Hub.

More Information

“Influenza Vaccines for 2025-2026 in Adults Who Are Not Pregnant or Immunocompromised,” is available on the Annals of Internal Medicine website.

Back to the November 21, 2025 issue of ACP Advocate