“The American people have benefited from the committee’s well-informed, rigorous discussion about the appropriateness of a vaccination in the first few hours of life,” said Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill.

Common anti-vaccine talking points were on display as the CDC’s immunization advisers repealed a hepatitis B birth vaccine recommendation and scrutinized the childhood schedule.

The vaccine safety panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday discussed the use of aluminum in vaccines and the connection between vaccine ingredients and autism, a controversial topic that is sure to further set the panel at odds with many medical professional groups and split Republicans.

"Things have not improved," writes Dr. Debra Houry. "They have worsened. And Congress has still failed to act."

Georgia Representatives Nikema Williams and Hank Johnson are among a group of more than 30 Democratic lawmakers urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep its long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.