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Former USPSTF chair Michael Silverstein says federal agency leadership blocked the task force’s completed cervical cancer screening recommendation and that canceled meetings prevented a vote on a cardiovascular prevention recommendation. The task force has since been restored to 16 members, but its work and the status of pending recommendations remain uncertain.
Former U.S. Preventive Services Task Force chair Michael Silverstein says leadership at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality blocked the task force’s completed recommendation on cervical cancer screening in fall 2025, while canceled meetings prevented members from voting on another recommendation. His account, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, describes a halt in the group’s work that could affect preventive care guidance and insurance coverage.
Silverstein, a physician and public health researcher at Brown University, wrote that the cervical cancer screening recommendation had gone through the task force’s draft process, a public comment period and revisions based on hundreds of comments. He said the AHRQ director blocked the final recommendation. The source report does not include a response from the agency or explain the stated reason for the decision.
Silverstein also said members could not vote on a recommendation concerning prevention of cardiovascular disease through healthy lifestyle interventions because meetings were canceled. He wrote that the task force had been unable to publish any recommendation since July 2025. Members continued to meet virtually on a weekly basis, he said, despite the canceled formal meetings.
The task force’s membership and schedule also changed. In May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired vice chairs John Wong and Esa Davis, while saying they could reapply. Eight of the 16 seats were vacant at that point, in part because five members’ terms had expired at the end of 2025 and replacements had not been named. Kennedy later appointed eight new members, returning the panel to full strength. Wong and Davis are not among the new members, according to the report.
Effects on Prevention Guidance
The USPSTF issues recommendations on preventive services used by clinicians and health systems. Silverstein warned that a pause in publication could leave primary care providers relying on guidance based on older evidence. That is his assessment of the consequences; the source material does not establish which specific clinical decisions have changed as a result.
Task force recommendations can also affect whether insurers must cover certain preventive services without cost sharing. Silverstein said Americans could be denied coverage for effective services if current recommendations are delayed. The report does not identify a particular service whose coverage has changed, or quantify how many patients may be affected.
The dispute also raises questions about how scientific review operates when agency leadership controls the panel’s process and schedule. The task force’s full membership has been restored, but the report leaves open whether its recommendations will again move through review and publication on a regular schedule.
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Cancellations and New Appointments
The USPSTF is an independent panel of volunteer experts that reviews evidence and issues preventive care recommendations. AHRQ oversees the group and provides its administrative support. Silverstein wrote that tensions emerged early in the second Trump administration, saying Kennedy had a particular disdain for the task force.
After a March 2025 meeting, Kennedy canceled regular task force meetings, including those planned for July and November, Silverstein wrote. In April, Kennedy told a House committee that the panel had been “lackadaisical and negligent” over the previous 20 years and said he would bring in members with a clear mission. In February 2026, former members reportedly feared the administration planned to eliminate the panel. Kennedy instead canceled a meeting scheduled for March and said it would be rescheduled in the coming months.
The eight newly appointed members include cardiologists, a gastroenterologist, a radiologist, an expert in artificial intelligence and a health insurance expert. American Medical Association President Willie Underwood said the group had typically been composed of primary care physicians and preventive medicine experts, and that the new membership represented a departure from that pattern. The source report does not detail the new members’ individual views on pending recommendations.
““Despite the efforts, the task force has been blocked from publishing even a single recommendation since July 2025.””
— Michael Silverstein, former USPSTF chair
Pending Recommendations and Agency Response
The source material does not include a response from AHRQ about Silverstein’s allegation that its director blocked the cervical cancer screening recommendation. It also does not provide the recommendation’s text, explain the agency’s decision, or say whether the work can resume or be published.
It remains unclear when the canceled meeting will be rescheduled, whether the cardiovascular prevention recommendation will reach a vote, and when the task force will publish new guidance. The report also says the panel’s required annual report was not issued, but does not say whether or when it will be released. The effects on clinical practice and insurance coverage have not been quantified.
Resuming the Panel’s Work
The next reported milestone is the rescheduling of the task force meeting that was canceled for March; Kennedy said it would take place in the coming months. With eight new members appointed, the panel has a full roster, but the source material does not set a date for its next meeting or name a publication schedule for recommendations.
Further updates could clarify whether the cervical cancer recommendation returns to the review process, whether members vote on the cardiovascular prevention guidance, and whether AHRQ responds to Silverstein’s account. Until then, the status of those recommendations and the timing of future publications remain unsettled.
Key Questions
What does Silverstein say the administration blocked?
Silverstein says the AHRQ director blocked the task force’s final recommendation on cervical cancer screening in fall 2025, after it had completed a draft, public comment period and revisions.
Why were other recommendations delayed?
Silverstein says canceled meetings prevented members from voting on a recommendation about preventing cardiovascular disease through healthy lifestyle interventions.
How many members are on the task force now?
The report says eight new appointments brought the task force back to its full complement of 16 members. Former vice chairs John Wong and Esa Davis are not among the new members.
Has the agency responded to the allegation?
The source material does not include a response from AHRQ or explain why the cervical cancer recommendation was blocked.
When will the task force meet again?
Kennedy said a meeting canceled for March would be rescheduled in the coming months. The report does not give a confirmed date.
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