Trump signs executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccinations
President Trump has signed an executive order to limit federal support to 11 core childhood vaccines and advocates for splitting the MMR vaccine into separate doses. Public health experts and medical organizations have criticized the move, citing a lack of scientific evidence and potential risks to public health.
Why it matters
This policy shift represents a significant departure from established medical consensus and could impact national immunization rates and public health safety.
The order advances a long-standing goal of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who has promoted a link between vaccines and autism that scientists have repeatedly debunked.
Public health experts say the U.S. schedule reflects decades of evidence and the specific health needs of Americans, and that fewer recommended shots will leave more children exposed to preventable diseases.
The order also recommended splitting the childhood measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three shots and delivering the shots at separate medical visits.
Kennedy had in January cut the U.S. immunization schedule to remove shots against six out of 17 diseases — a move halted by a federal court ruling. The Trump order says that the federal government will now only support the remaining 11 shots.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and vaccine-maker Merck criticized the order.
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