Internal Emails Show RFK Jr. Pressured CDC to Pull Flu Vaccine Ads. Democrats Release Documents, Demand Answers.

Senate Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released a batch of internal CDC emails on Thursday, June 25, according to CBS News. The documents were provided by Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC's former chief medical officer, who resigned after CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired.

The emails trace a direct line of pressure from Kennedy's office to the CDC's communications staff. In mid-February 2025, during what federal health officials described as the worst flu season in years, CDC communications official Nicole Coffin emailed colleagues that HHS communications chief Andrew Nixon had asked the agency to "pull out of circulation all campaign ad buys related to flu or anything encouraging shots or vaccinations." Coffin wrote that the request "came directly from the Secretary."

A separate CDC official escalated the concern to Monarez and Houry. "Given that this is the worst flu season in years, halting a campaign currently in the field presents significant reputational risk to the agency," he wrote, adding there were "likely legal issues with contracts/appropriated funding."

Days later, a pro-vaccination campaign called "Wild to Mild" was paused. A second campaign, "Get My Flu Shot," was allowed to continue.

The ACIP firing

The emails also shed light on the removal of all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, the expert panel that sets the federal vaccine schedule. Kennedy fired the entire committee early in his tenure and replaced them with individuals who critics describe as skeptics of established vaccine science.

A draft memo obtained by CBS News and referenced in the HELP Committee release noted that ACIP had only one vacancy after 2024, and new openings were not scheduled until 2027. "This gives Biden appointees significant sway over ACIP and its recommendations until 2028," the memo read, outlining Kennedy's options to replace some or all members. Kennedy chose all.

The committee meets roughly three times a year. Its recommendations shape vaccine availability and pricing for millions of Americans.

Sanders leads the investigation

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the committee's ranking member, is leading a Democratic investigation into Kennedy's vaccine-related decisions, according to Truthout. The probe is NOT backed by a full committee vote. Republicans control the committee, and Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has not joined the inquiry.

Cassidy is a physician who spent years promoting vaccination for low-income families in Louisiana. He cast a key vote confirming Kennedy despite reservations. In a February 4, 2025 Senate floor speech, Cassidy stated flatly that vaccines are "safe," "save lives," and "do not cause autism," a direct rebuke of the conspiracy theories Kennedy has long promoted. Democrats have accused Kennedy of misleading Cassidy during the confirmation hearing about his intentions for ACIP, a charge both Kennedy and Cassidy have denied, according to Truthout.

Sanders has escalated beyond the investigation. In an opinion piece published in the New York Times this past weekend and reported by Fox News, Sanders called on Kennedy to resign outright. "Mr. Kennedy and the rest of the Trump administration tell us, over and over, that they want to Make America Healthy Again. That's a great slogan. I agree with it. The problem is that since coming into office, President Trump and Mr. Kennedy have done exactly the opposite," Sanders wrote.

Sanders told Fox News Digital on Monday: "I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, but I do talk to scientists, and I do talk to doctors, and the evidence is overwhelming. It's not contestable. Vaccines work. They save millions and millions of lives."

Kennedy and his allies argue that the ACIP overhaul and messaging changes are about genuine informed consent, not anti-vaccine ideology. The original HHS request framed the ad pause as a pivot toward messaging that tells patients about both risks and benefits rather than simply promoting shots. That is a defensible public health communications principle. Kennedy's supporters also contend that ACIP had grown too insulated and that replacing long-serving Biden-era appointees with fresh perspectives is a legitimate exercise of executive authority, no different from prior administrations reshaping advisory panels. The question of whether legacy advisory committees reflect scientific consensus or institutional groupthink is fair to raise.

The emails, however, do not support that reading as the primary driver. The decision to halt the "Wild to Mild" campaign came during an active flu season that CDC officials themselves flagged as unusually severe, and the concern about contracts and appropriated funds suggests the move was abrupt rather than carefully planned.

What happened to CDC leadership

Monarez was fired last August, according to Fox News. Four other senior CDC officials resigned in protest hours after her termination, citing Kennedy's directives to limit the availability of certain vaccines, including COVID-19 approvals, as the breaking point. CBS News has sought comment from HHS on the released emails; as of publication, no response has been reported.

HHS has NOT announced any response to the Senate Democrats' document release, and no charges or formal investigation outside the Senate minority inquiry have been announced. The HELP Committee's Republican majority has shown no indication it will convene hearings specifically on Kennedy's vaccine decisions.

Whether Cassidy, who chairs the committee and publicly reaffirmed vaccine safety earlier this year, will use his position to compel Kennedy to answer for the conduct documented in these emails remains an open question.