President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at restructuring the nation's childhood vaccine schedule, a move the administration describes as a significant shift toward prioritizing parental choice in medical decisions.
The order, termed the Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations, reduces the number of recommended immunizations for children to 11 diseases, down from the 18 currently advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It also removes the recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine for minors.
According to a memo accompanying the order, the updated schedule aims to align the United States with other developed nations. A Health and Human Services (HHS) assessment reportedly found that the U.S. schedule recommended more vaccines than many European counterparts. The memo also suggests that parents should have flexibility to make individualized decisions for their children through shared clinical decision-making with healthcare providers.
Additionally, the executive order directs the Attorney General to challenge states that may infringe upon children's rights to religious or medical vaccination exemptions. Trump stated that while parents can still choose to administer all recommended vaccinations, with insurance coverage available, the updated recommendations are intended to align with common sense and international standards.
The initiative is part of the Trump administration's broader commitment to health reform, including the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, which was established to address childhood chronic diseases. The commission has reportedly developed a plan with over 120 initiatives to address what the administration terms failed policies contributing to a childhood chronic disease epidemic.
The memo also suggests separating the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual shots rather than administered together. It further notes that the U.S. is among a minority of peer nations that mandate vaccinations for school enrollment. Trump emphasized that the vaccines would be administered in a series of smaller-dose appointments rather than all at once. "I think you're going to see some amazing results [by] breaking it up," Trump said. "It's not just that you're doing fewer vaccines or jabs, as they say, but you're doing them in a series of visits to the doctor. Much smaller amounts."