Urge Congress to Protect Our Access to Vaccines

Dear {Representative/Senator}

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is an important body for immunization policy, with the unique statutory authority to ensure insurance coverage across private and public insurance, as well as inclusion in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program – a program that provides free vaccines for over half of America's children.

Since the replacement of the ACIP members in June 2025, the Committee has systematically worked to sow doubt in our vaccination systems and reduce access to specific vaccines–without a medical or safety indication for re-evaluating the vaccines in question.

To date, they have removed parent and provider choice to vaccinate with the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine–meaning parents must give their child an additional shot to be protected against these four diseases. The Committee also made this change for the VFC program–a decision they made without seeming to understand the implications for our nation's most vulnerable children. They have also voted to recommend against the use of a preservative, thimerosal, used in approximately 4% of our nation's influenza (flu) vaccine supply. While this may not have impacted many vaccines, this vote set a precedent for the low standard of evidence, lack of process, and lack of concern for downstream implementation of immunization programs used by this body.

Looking ahead to the December meeting, the ACIP plans to continue to discuss the hepatitis B birth dose and potentially other topics, including concurrent administration, aluminum in vaccines, and other countries with more limited childhood schedules. Removal of the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose would have lasting public health and chronic disease impacts. Aluminum, a well-studied ingredient used to improve our body's response to the vaccine, is a critical component of our entire immunization schedule. Any actions taken to remove aluminum from vaccines would have an impact on ten of the 18 disease areas that the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule aims to protect against. Because of combination vaccines, either move would impair our ability to protect America's children from diseases like polio and pertussis (whooping cough).

We all want our children and our nation to be healthy–with polls showing almost 90% of parents across the political spectrum believe vaccines are safe. Polls also show that the majority of supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement think it is important for children to be vaccinated and have kept their own children up to date on vaccinations.

However, the actions by Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership are creating distrust in vaccines and are removing access to these lifesaving products. As your constituent, I urge you to take action to keep my family and our community safe. Please contact the White House today and tell President Trump to not let HHS take away our vaccines.

Sincerely,

[Your name here]