States Challenge Trump Era Vaccine Cuts

A coalition of fifteen states has filed a lawsuit against the former Trump administration, targeting recent federal changes that trimmed the child vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 illnesses. The plaintiffs argue that the new plan lacks scientific backing and mirrors policies from a country with a very different health system. They also claim that the removal of the long‑standing advisory panel, which had guided vaccine timing for decades, undermines public safety. The suit lists the Department of Health and Human Services, its former secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and its acting director Jay Bhattacharya as defendants. State attorneys general emphasize that vaccines save lives and keep costs down, while critics say the schedule now leaves children vulnerable to serious diseases. Arizona’s attorney general points out that copying Denmark’s routine does not translate into the same protection for U. S. families.A key issue is that the changes were made without reviewing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a group traditionally responsible for setting vaccine recommendations. In June, the committee’s members were replaced by appointees who share a skeptical view of vaccines. Since then, the panel has rolled back several established practices, such as routine hepatitis B shots for newborns—a virus that can cause severe liver damage. The federal government has dismissed the lawsuit as a publicity stunt, asserting that its authority over vaccine schedules and committee composition is clear by law. Meanwhile, a separate suit filed earlier this year by major medical groups challenges the decision to halt COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. That case has attracted support from over a hundred public health experts, and a judge in Massachusetts is expected to rule soon. The states involved include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and the governor of Pennsylvania. The outcome of these legal battles could shape how vaccines are administered across the country for years to come.