Health Care

Maryland separates from RFK Jr. vaccine guidance

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by Nathaniel Weixel - 04/15/26 3:47 PM ET

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by Nathaniel Weixel - 04/15/26 3:47 PM ET

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Legislation signed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) would de-couple the state from following the recommendations of a federal vaccine advisory panel that was remade by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Vax Act, signed by Gov. Wes Moore (D) Tuesday, directs the state’s health secretary to issue official recommendations for immunizations, screening and preventive services, rather than relying on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

ACIP makes recommendations on who should be immunized after the Food and Drug Administration approves a vaccine for use.

The CDC does not set rules or mandates for immunizations, but states have traditionally tied their own vaccine policies, like school requirements and insurance coverage, to ACIP recommendations.

But the committee’s credibility has been challenged after Kennedy removed all 17 of its original members and handpicked their replacements, some of whom publicly expressed skepticism about vaccine safety.

The panel has since voted to downgrade the recommendations for several shots, including the COVID-19 vaccine and childhood vaccines like the hepatitis B shot given at birth.

A federal judge last month temporarily blocked the panel’s efforts going forward and put some of Kennedy’s previous moves on hold. The judge also said the committee’s members were not qualified to recommend shots for Americans.

However, the Trump administration last week published a new charter for the panel that could allow it to sidestep the ruling and reinstate Kennedy’s changes.

“Our vaccine policy will be driven by science, not driven by internet conspiracy theories,” Moore said during a signing ceremony.

Moore said the change will prioritize guidance from outside groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians rather than from federal entities.

Prior to Kennedy taking over as health secretary, major medical organizations were typically aligned with the federal government, taking part in meetings discussing immunization recommendations.

When Kennedy gutted ACIP, groups charted their own path. The AAP chose not to engage in what it called an “illegitimate” ACIP meeting last summer.

Maryland is the latest blue state seeking to insulate its residents from the effects of the federal government’s seemingly antagonistic stance towards vaccines, following California, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts and others.

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