Key facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul of the US Preventive Services Taskforce has stalled.
- The taskforce has not met or issued recommendations since March 2025.
- An update on helping children quit tobacco, based on new evidence, is among the stalled topics.
- Kennedy fired two taskforce leaders and criticized members.
- HHS cited an "unprecedented number of nominations" for a meeting postponement.
- The FDA's lead tobacco regulator was removed in April 2025.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to overhaul a significant federal advisory group have reportedly stalled an update that would have highlighted new evidence on helping children quit tobacco. The US Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF), whose recommendations are tied to insurance coverage for preventive services under the Affordable Care Act, has not convened or issued binding recommendations since March 2025. This halt has impacted 14 topics under consideration, including cervical cancer screening, perinatal depression, and autism screening, in addition to childhood tobacco cessation.
Dr. Michael Silverstein, who served on the taskforce until March 2025, expressed frustration that "encouraging" new evidence on tobacco cessation for children could not be formally reviewed or recommended. He emphasized the non-controversial nature of addressing children and tobacco use. While subcommittees continued to review the issue, the lack of formal group meetings prevented a draft recommendation from being finalized.
Kennedy has taken actions to assert control over the taskforce, firing two leaders in May and publicly labeling members as "lackadaisical and negligent." The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that the forecasted July meeting was postponed to late August due to an "unprecedented number of nominations" for new taskforce members, allowing for selection and onboarding.
The administration has also dismantled several anti-smoking health programs. The CDC's office on smoking and health has been closed for over a year, and a long-running ad campaign, "Tips from Former Smokers," was discontinued. The FDA's lead tobacco regulator was also removed in April 2025. Separately, former Trump FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned in protest of a new FDA policy permitting the sale of flavored vapes, a decision that followed a significant donation to a Trump-backed Super Pac by a Reynolds American subsidiary.
Concerns about the taskforce's paralysis extend to other critical public health issues, such as perinatal depression and cervical cancer screening. The Supreme Court's 2025 clarification that Kennedy has the authority to appoint and dismiss taskforce members came after a case involving a recommendation for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which hard-right medical organizations had opposed.
External groups have voiced significant concern over the lack of transparency. Dr. Aaron E Carroll of AcademyHealth described the inability to get basic answers after a full year as "staggering," contrasting it with previous administrations. In the absence of clear priorities from Kennedy, some companies, like Guardant Health, which produces a blood test for colorectal cancer, have begun lobbying the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), which supports the taskforce, and launched public petitions to influence guideline updates.