Trump signs order reducing, splitting recommended infant vaccinations

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday ordering the Health and Human Services Department to ramp up vaccine research and establish best practices commensurate with other developed Western nations. America has recommended more childhood vaccines than any peer nation for far too long, up to double for some European countries, Trump said at the Monday signing.

Trump’s order, titled “Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans,” will only recommend the 11 core vaccines against seriously dangerous illnesses, Trump said. Additionally, the president noted that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR, would remain as a core recommended vaccination. The shot should be separated into three individual vaccines, administered across separate visits, he added.

The United States has no federal vaccination mandate. Instead, all states have a required list of immunizations that a child must receive to attend school, although the list varies by state. Current vaccine recommendations have children receiving up to 94 vaccines by the time they’re 18 years old in some states, HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. The executive order’s recommendations came after federal health officials compared America’s vaccine policies against the best available science and practices of peer-developed nations, Kennedy said. Most other countries achieve high vaccination rates via education, informed consent, and public trust, rather than mandates like in the United States, he continued. The order’s recommendations aimed to preserve vaccine access while expanding research and giving doctors and parents better information, Kennedy said.

What exactly does the order include? Trump’s order reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to getting Americans what the order described as the best medically supported advice in the world while also protecting religious liberty and parental authority. Federal programs and funding should support maximum parental choice over children’s vaccine choices, according to the order.

The order directed Kennedy to draft a report within 90 days with various options for administering vaccines, starting with MMR, based on research from the private and public sector. Kennedy’s report would also include the ideal timing and sequencing for childhood vaccines, alternative adjuvants over aluminum, and a risk-benefit analysis of all childhood vaccine profiles. Trump’s Monday order also called on the Department of Justice to take legal action against state laws conflicting with federal statutory obligations around parental authority, religious freedom, and equal protection.

How are people responding? Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., released a Monday statement describing the order as inaccurate and wrong. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe, effective, and don’t cause children to develop autism, he wrote. Cassidy also took issue with splitting up MMR doses, insisting that doing so will require kids to get more jabs to attain the same level of protection. The senator cited his credibility as a medical doctor in the post, adding that parents should listen to their pediatricians rather than politicians.

What is the likelihood that the executive order will be fully implemented? The executive order itself will likely face legal hurdles. A federal court earlier this year blocked Kennedy’s previous attempt to change the vaccine schedule.