Trump signs order cutting childhood vaccine recommendations to 11

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday in the Oval Office that reduces the number of vaccines recommended for children and calls for splitting combined shots into separate doses.

The order cuts the number of diseases for which the federal government recommends childhood vaccination from 18 to 11, a reduction of seven diseases. It also calls for the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR, to be separated into three single-disease shots administered at separate medical visits whenever possible.

"Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today," Trump said during the signing. "In those times, people were much healthier and of course the high rates of autism now observed did not exist." Trump also stated, "In many cases we were requiring 72 jabs for our beautiful, healthy, lovely, delicate little children."

The White House described the order as establishing "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations" that maximize parental choice and align with practices in similar developed countries. According to the administration, vaccines no longer recommended for all children—including those against influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, and meningococcal disease—would instead be recommended for children at higher risk or based on shared decision-making between parents and physicians.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was present at the signing, has long opposed vaccines. Trump called the move "a major victory for parents rights, religious and constitutional rights, and for the gold standard science."

During his remarks, Trump made claims linking vaccines to autism. Scientific research has consistently found no connection between childhood vaccines and autism diagnoses. Multiple studies conducted over more than 50 years have found no evidence supporting such a link.

The order also directs the attorney general to pursue legal challenges against states that violate parental rights to religious or medical vaccine exemptions. It calls for a federal review of the childhood vaccination schedule and asks states to review their school vaccination requirements.

The timing of the order coincides with the start of the school year and comes as the United States faces its worst measles outbreak in 35 years, according to sources. Medical experts have expressed concern that the changes could reduce vaccination rates and expose children to preventable diseases.

The MMR vaccine, which has been administered as a combined shot for more than 50 years, has been found safe and effective by medical authorities. Separating the vaccine into three doses could extend children's exposure to measles, mumps and rubella, medical experts have warned. Currently, separate MMR vaccines are not available on the U.S. market.

Trump stated, "Nothing bad can happen from what we're doing." The order represents a significant departure from decades of federal vaccination guidance established by health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

During the approximately 40-minute event in the Oval Office, Trump appeared to struggle to remain awake after inviting Kennedy to speak, with his eyelids closing repeatedly as he sat at his desk.