A November meeting of an influential preventive services advisory committee has been postponed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing the government shutdown.

The 16-member U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has not held a formal meeting since March. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled a July meeting where the panel was supposed to discuss steps to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Task force members meet in person three times a year — in March, July and November.

“The USPSTF’s November meeting has been postponed due to the Democrat-led shutdown. The Trump Administration is committed to reopening the government so meetings like this one can occur,” HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in an email.

“The Secretary looks forward to working with the U

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