Despite firing every member of the federal vaccine advisory committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has retained one key figure with a radically pro-passport past.
Kennedy, who recently disbanded the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), kept Dr. Marcus Plescia in a top post at HHS as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of Science and Medicine. Plescia’s past comments in favor of vaccine passports place him well to the left of even the Biden White House’s stance during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Plescia — then serving as chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials — told The New York Times that vaccine passport credentials were “going to be necessary,” calling it “perplexing” that the federal government was keeping its distance from such a proposal.
His remarks came even as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki assured reporters that “there will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.”
Plescia’s position, made public at the time through The New York Times’ reporting, stood in contrast not only to Biden’s hesitancy but also to an ongoing wave of state-level opposition. Governors from Texas, Florida, and Mississippi issued orders banning or opposing any form of vaccine credentialing, arguing it violated basic liberties and privacy.
Kennedy’s implicit decision to retain contrasts with his other decisions. On June 9, the new health secretary made headlines for his sweeping removal of the 17-member ACIP panel, citing what he called a “crisis of public trust” caused by conflicts of interest and pharmaceutical industry influence.
“The committee has become… little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine. It has never recommended against a vaccine—even those later withdrawn for safety reasons.” Kennedy wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, adding that many members had received “substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies.”
But the retention of Plescia — whose support for vaccine passports predates the Biden administration’s relatively more cautious approach — raises questions.
Plescia’s 2021 endorsement of vaccine credentials aligned more with European-style digital health passes and apps like those trialed by Cathay Pacific Airlines and implemented by companies such as Walmart. “There is going to have to be some kind of system where [vaccination status] is verified,” he said, arguing it was the only way to safely reopen businesses and restore public trust.
The White House was unwilling to go that far at the time, concerned about the ethical implications and civil liberties involved. Instead, Psaki emphasized the government’s position that any such system should “meet key standards, including accessibility, affordability and privacy,” but would ultimately be left to the private sector.
President Biden never fully implemented a vaccine passport system, but he did issue an executive order requiring nearly every private sector employee to get the COVID shot, which in turn prompted companies to create systems of verification for employees and customers.
RFK Jr., a longtime COVID vaccine critic, ran a presidential campaign and later accepted his appointment to HHS on promises to dismantle what he called medical “fascism.” His decision to purge the ACIP panel came after immense pressure from MAHA allies, including Dr. Mary Talley Bowden of Houston, who slammed the secretary for not taking more aggressive policy action to date, The Dallas Express reported.
Kennedy’s shakeup alarmed some congressional figures. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician, said, “Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion. I’ve just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I’ll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.”
Kennedy was contacted for comment in the production of this story, but he did not respond. A spokesman for HHS did not immediately respond.
Plescia’s HHS bio describes his duties as follows: “He advises the Assistant Secretary and OASH leadership across scientific and medical issues covering the full suite of public health priorities. He oversees staff and program work focused on state and federal health systems, infection-associated chronic conditions, vector borne disease, data-driven decision making and healthcare innovation.”
The bio qualifies him for the job by saying, “[He] has widespread experience in medicine and public health. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and practiced for over 20 years in a variety of settings serving homeless, urban poor and rural underserved populations.”