Health Panel Stalled: Senators Call on RFK Jr. to Act
Nineteen senators, including top Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin, wrote a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding that he stop obstructing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and restore its annual meetings.
Key Issues
- The USPSTF meets three times a year to decide which preventive services—such as mammograms or diabetes screenings—must be covered by insurance.
- Since March 2025, the Task Force has not convened. Kennedy canceled meetings in late summer and fall, pushed back a scheduled session this month, and left several positions vacant after they expired in December.
- As a result, the panel’s work is on hold and its recommendations are frozen.
The senators warned that this inactivity could delay the introduction or update of vital preventive measures, potentially harming public health. They asked Kennedy to explain why the latest meeting was postponed and how he plans to keep future guidance grounded in solid science.
A Health and Human Services spokesperson did not respond promptly. While Kennedy has replaced members of a vaccine advisory panel, he has left the preventive panel empty. Without meetings last year, the USPSTF failed to update its guidance or release a required report that helps shape federal research priorities.
The letter urges the Secretary to:
- Restore the Task Force’s normal schedule.
- Fill vacant seats promptly.
- Ensure that its recommendations remain evidence‑based so Americans continue to receive essential preventive care.
