Stalled Efforts of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

For the fourth time, the Trump administration has prevented the United States Preventive Services Task Force from meeting as scheduled. The task force, a crucial panel in public health, has not convened in person since March 2025. It traditionally holds three annual meetings to assess scientific evidence related to preventive tests and medications for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and H.I.V. The recommendations made by this panel influence doctors’ practices and impact coverage decisions for insurance companies in the United States.

The task force’s ability to make new recommendations has been severely hindered under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Recently, plans for a meeting this month were postponed. The decision was communicated via email to collaborators of the panel, confirmed by Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman from the Department of Health and Human Services. According to Ms. Hilliard, the delay until late August was due to an ‘unprecedented number of nominations’ for task force membership, necessitating additional time for selection and onboarding of new members.

In a significant development in June 2025, the Supreme Court empowered Mr. Kennedy to unilaterally dismiss task force members and override its decisions. Subsequently, Kennedy canceled the panel meetings in July and November of last year, as well as in March of this year. He also failed to appoint successors for several expired member terms and dismissed the panel’s two chairs in May.

A Federal Register notice seeking nominations for the vacant positions was issued in April, with a submission deadline of May 23. This notice indicated that nomination and application documents were available for public review at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the department overseeing the task force. However, access to these documents was denied to a New York Times reporter who visited during business hours on June 15. Officials cited the need for redaction of the documents but did not provide answers regarding their availability.

The prolonged obstruction of the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s operations has raised concerns about its future effectiveness and the impact on public health policies.