When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, many people, including the three of us, were deeply concerned about the repercussions for our public health system. We feared potential policy changes affecting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunization guidelines, as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, and approved by the CDC director.

Now, the worst has happened.

In one fell swoop, Kennedy fired all 17 members of ACIP, and appointed eight new members, several of whom have a record of vaccine skepticism. Nearly two dozen national public health and professional health care organizations immediately criticized the action.

And in the absence of an official ACIP recommendation and a CDC director, Kennedy changed the immunization recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine in children and pregnant women, despite overwhelming evidence of the vaccine’s safety and efficacy — and, again, over the objections of the medical and public health communities.

Vaccines are one of the greatest public health achievements of the modern era. These federal actions risk undermining vaccine confidence, increasing vaccine-preventable diseases and death, and eroding long-established scientific processes. Studies have shown that in the past 50 years vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives.

But it is not too late for New Jersey to act. Today, public health officers and clinics, parents and other caregivers are confused and already asking for clear guidance from state health leaders. Now is the time to ensure that New Jersey will be guided by the best scientific evidence around immunization schedules and vaccine safety.

Legislators and state officials can immediately enact regulatory and legislative approaches to protect public health.

On the regulatory front, the New Jersey Department of Health is in the process of considering amendments to portions of its communicable disease regulations, which include the immunization requirements for school and day-care attendance. Today, these regulations refer to and rely on ACIP recommendations. These regulations can and should be amended to include other guidance sources, including specific trusted professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians. Traditionally, these organizations participate in the development of ACIP recommendations and have members with expertise assessing vaccine efficacy and safety, and experience crafting scientific and evidence-based policy. Adding these organizations as sources to rely upon would give the Department of Health the flexibility it may need to protect New Jersey residents.

As for legislative action, New Jersey could quickly follow Colorado’s lead and pass legislation to allow, but not require, New Jersey to rely upon these other trusted organizations rather than only the ACIP. By expanding the department’s options to seek guidance from other expert bodies, the Legislature could ensure that New Jersey will always have sound medical evidence to guide critical vaccine recommendations.

Issues such as these are likely to continue, including other policy changes as well as cuts to federal funding for public health and the Vaccines for Children program. In this uncertain landscape, the New Jersey Department of Health should form a multidisciplinary advisory panel of vaccine experts and public health experts to strategically advise the state on decisions it may need to make, depending on how the ACIP and CDC change existing guidance and programs to pay for vaccines.

As New Jersey lawmakers wrap up the budget process, we urge them to address this issue before taking a summer recess. In the face of sabotage at the federal level, the Legislature must act now to provide clarity to families, health care providers, and public health officers committed to caring for their patients and communities.