Trump Orders Fewer Childhood Shots for 11 Diseases as RFK Jr. Fails to Prove Autism Link
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 17
Trump Orders Fewer Childhood Shots for 11 Diseases as RFK Jr. Fails to Prove Autism Link
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 17
Summary
Less than 90 days before the midterms, Trump pushed through an Aug. 10 order to cut recommended childhood shots and split the MMR vaccine, while publicly blaming vaccines for rising autism diagnoses.
More than a year into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s multimillion-dollar autism effort, HHS and the White House still have not produced evidence tying vaccines to autism or said what research informs Trump's claims.
No peer country separates the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as Trump ordered, and medical groups, autism advocates and federal scientists say they were largely shut out of the administration's opaque research process.
About $50 million in NIH autism grants are underway, but most will take years; Kennedy's earlier claims on Tylenol, circumcision and hepatitis B have also been undercut by major studies.
The move keeps Kennedy's vaccine agenda alive despite measles-driven internal resistance and could expose Republicans in swing districts to political blowback as diagnoses rise globally for reasons research links largely to genetics and broader screening.
Will the new federal vaccine schedule force schools to rewrite admission rules, or will states rebel against the changes?
Could splitting routine childhood vaccines into multiple appointments unintentionally disrupt school enrollments across the country?
With federal and medical guidelines now clashing, which childhood vaccine schedule will pediatricians actually trust?
Unraveling America’s Childhood Vaccine Consensus: The 2026 Trump-Kennedy Overhaul, State Rebellion, and the Fight for Public Health
Overview
In 2026, the Trump administration, driven by President Trump's personal belief in a debunked vaccine-autism link, attempted to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule by bypassing established scientific processes. After a federal court blocked earlier changes, a new executive order was issued to reshape vaccine recommendations, including splitting the MMR vaccine and increasing separate doctor visits. This led to the firing of scientific advisory panels and the installation of vaccine skeptics, sparking unified resistance from the medical community. As states responded with divergent policies, vaccination rates declined and outbreaks surged, while public trust eroded due to suppressed safety data and growing confusion.