RFK Jr. plans to oust 'woke' advisory panel on cancer screenings, preventive health: Sources

ByWill McDuffie ABCNews logo
Sunday, July 27, 2025
RFK Jr. to oust 'woke' panel on cancer screenings, preventive health
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to oust all members of a preventive health and cancer screenings advisory panel, ABC News sources said.

WASHINGTON -- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to oust all 16 members of a task force that recommends which preventive health services, such as cancer screenings, must be covered by insurance, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Kennedy views the group -- the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) -- as too "woke," the source told ABC News.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the secretary's plans.

SEE ALSO | RFK Jr. says people should not take medical advice from him, defends HHS cuts during hearings

HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement that "no final decision has been made on how USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again."

A scheduled meeting of the task force was abruptly canceled earlier this month, with no reason given.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Washington.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
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