An overhaul of the US Preventive Services Taskforce by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stalled critical updates on helping children quit tobacco.
The federal advisory group has not issued binding recommendations since March 2025 due to postponed meetings.
The ongoing delays have left 14 major public health topics on hold, including guidelines for autism screenings, perinatal depression, and cervical cancer screenings.
Established during the Reagan administration, the taskforce determines which preventive services must be covered by insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Dr. Michael Silverstein, who served on the panel until his term ended in March 2025, expressed concern over the halted progress on youth smoking guidelines.
"There was a lot of new, very encouraging evidence on tobacco cessation for kids," said Silverstein.
Silverstein explained that the recommendations had progressed through subcommittees but could not be finalized without formal meetings.
"We're talking about children and tobacco – I can't imagine there's anything controversial about that," said Silverstein.
The administrative freeze coincides with broader rollbacks of federal anti-smoking initiatives, including the closure of the CDC's office on smoking and the removal of the FDA's top tobacco regulator in April 2025.
In May, Kennedy also dismissed two taskforce leaders after previously calling members "lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years" during an April congressional hearing.
The Department of Health and Human Services attributed the postponed meetings to an administrative backlog rather than political opposition.
"Due to an unprecedented number of nominations received for Task Force membership, the forecasted July US Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) meeting has been postponed until late August to allow additional time for selection and onboarding of new task force members," said Emily Hilliard, senior press secretary for HHS.
Outside health policy experts have criticized the prolonged silence, noting that previous administrations maintained regular operations during transitions.
"Republican and Democratic administrations, including the previous Trump administration, were not like this," said Dr. Aaron E. Carroll, president and CEO of AcademyHealth.
Carroll warned that the lack of communication creates an information vacuum, prompting medical device and diagnostic companies to increase their lobbying efforts.
"The fact we can't get answers to the most basic of questions after a full year is staggering," said Carroll.
The situation remains unresolved as the taskforce prepares for its rescheduled meeting in late August.
"It's somewhat humorous, but also sad, that we have to keep guessing what is going on in our government instead of actually knowing," said Carroll.
