States Sue Trump Administration Over Revised Childhood Vaccination Schedule

More than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended childhood vaccination schedule. The states allege the revised guidelines, which reduce the number of routinely recommended vaccines, pose an illegal threat to public health.

What Changed in the Vaccination Schedule?

The CDC announced in January 2026, following a Presidential memorandum, that it would no longer recommend routine vaccinations against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis, and RSV for all children. Instead, these protections are now recommended only for specific high-risk groups or through shared clinical decision-making between healthcare providers and parents [1].

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the changes, which began in 2025, were based on an assessment of vaccine practices in 20 peer nations [2]. The U.S. Previously recommended more childhood vaccines than any other peer nation, and more than twice as many doses as some European countries [3].

The new schedule recommends routine immunization against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) – with a reduced schedule of one dose – and varicella (chickenpox) [2].

States Challenge the Changes in Court

The states involved in the lawsuit argue that the CDC’s changes ignore long-standing medical guidance and will increase the burden on states to control potential outbreaks. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes emphasized that children’s health is not a political issue