Sep 03 New Executive Order on Immunizations Contradicts Scientific Evidence

Sep 03h in Bold Voices by

(September 3, 2026)

On August 10, President Trump signed an executive order that altered the recommended childhood vaccination schedule. Previous recommendations included vaccinating all children against 17 diseases, the newly released recommendations include only 11 – no longer universally recommending vaccinations for illnesses such as flu, rotavirus, and bacterial meningitis, among others. A federal judge previously halted an attempt by the administration to change vaccine recommendations earlier in 2026. This executive order reintroduces those same recommendations that the court stopped.

During a press conference on the new order, the administration stated that the United States’ previous 17 vaccine recommendations was an outlier among peer nations. In response to this, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein (vice dean for public health at Johns Hopkins), stated that this is not accurate, explaining that several peer nations also vaccinate for between 15 and 17 diseases. Dr. Sharfstein also suggested that parents should turn to their child’s pediatrician for advice on childhood vaccines. The American Academy of Pediatrics clarified in a statement about the executive order that they still include all of the original 17 vaccines on their immunization schedule.

The executive order also asserts that the combined measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine should be administered as three separate single-disease shots. MMR has been offered as a trivalent vaccine since 1971. This recommendation comes at the same time as the United States is recording the highest number of measles cases since 1991, with over 500 cases in Pennsylvania alone. According to the American Association of Immunologists, requiring more visits for a child to receive needed vaccines makes it less likely that they will receive the full schedule, leaving more children unprotected. The basis for separating the shots comes from a paper that was published in The Lancet in 1998, which was ultimately retracted 12 years later. This is the same retracted paper that falsely claimed ties between vaccines and autism, a subject that was also brought up during the August 10 press conference.

Every state already allows for medical exemptions to vaccine requirements, and all but four allow for religious exemptions. Despite this, the executive order directs the Attorney General to take actions against states that do not “provide religious and medical exemptions from childhood and adolescent immunization requirements.” This could cause confusion and fear among parents who don’t understand that such exemptions are already in place.

Georgetown University put it succinctly: “families deserve policy based on science.” In fact, even the executive order itself advises that states update their regulations around vaccines “based on the scientific assessment and best practices from peer-developed countries.” Unfortunately, as shown above, the recommendations of the executive order do not align with scientific research or peer nations. While the administration claims to support parents’ rights to choose for their child, the “misinformation and debunked claims that vaccines cause more harm than good” (Georgetown) being spread by the executive order only make it harder for parents to make educated choices.

Further Reading:

Laura Condon, Allies for Children Project Manager