The panel will hold two separate votes for the flu shot: one on influenza vaccines and another on influenza vaccines that contain thimerosal.

Kennedy dismissed the entire committee on June 9, accusing the former members of lacking public trust and being "plagued with persistent conflicts of interest," despite the committee's transparent disclosure and conflict of interest policies.

It scares me to think of what’s ahead,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. One of the members of the committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals,