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# Congressional Gains Unlikely to Halt Vaccine Policy Changes: Analysts
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/congressional-gains-unlikely-to-halt-vaccine-policy-changes-analysts/
- Published: 2026-10-23T16:51:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T20:51:33.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Biologics

If vaccine advocates gain substantial support in Congress following next month’s midterm elections, the Trump administration could still accelerate changes to federal vaccine policies in 2027, potentially limiting the effectiveness of congressional oversight, two former federal health policy officials warn.

In a 10/20 [*MedPage Today* commentary](https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/123479?trw=no&ref=fdaweb.com), Steven Grossman, a former HHS deputy assistant secretary for health, and Michael Miller, a healthcare policy expert with experience at NIH, the White House and Congress, predicted that HHS secretary **Robert F. Kennedy Jr.** would pursue additional vaccine policy changes after the elections.

The authors said those changes could include reviving initiatives previously blocked or delayed, particularly those affecting vaccine recommendations and federal advisory committees.

They pointed to the administration's restructuring of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), reductions in routine vaccination recommendations, and changes involving HHS and FDA vaccine advisory groups as examples of policies that have mobilized opposition from medical organizations and public health advocates.

Although the authors expect vaccine supporters to gain congressional representation, they argued that legislative oversight may provide limited protection against additional executive branch actions. They cited President Trump's expansive interpretation of presidential authority and predicted that the administration could resist congressional oversight and legal challenges involving vaccine policy.

The authors also suggested Kennedy's position within the administration remains secure, noting Trump's continued public support for the HHS secretary despite the turnover that sometimes follows midterm elections.