Trump tells agencies to align with study calling for narrower childhood vaccine recommendations

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing federal agencies to align their policies with a Department of Health and Human Services study that recommends reducing the number of vaccines for American children. The study, which found the U.S. recommends more childhood vaccines than many peer nations, suggests vaccinating all children against 11 diseases, with others recommended only for high-risk groups or through shared decision-making. This order reinforces the study's findings, which Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long advocated for. The administration is appealing a previous judicial block on similar moves. The directive emphasizes providing flexibility to parents and doctors, while ensuring continued access to vaccines, acknowledging that states, not the federal government, hold authority over school vaccination requirements.

President Trump signed an executive order directing the CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to review a recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assessment on childhood vaccines. This order acknowledges the HHS assessment as a guide for the federal government in updating the vaccine schedule for children and adolescents. The review will consider scientific evidence, best practices from developed countries, and flexibility for doctors and parents regarding vaccine timing and sequencing. This action follows an HHS memo issued in January that reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines. The White House stated the policy aims to align the core childhood vaccine schedule with scientific evidence while preserving access to currently available vaccines.