Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Realigns U.S. Core Childhood Vaccine Recommendations with Best Practices from Peer, Developed Countries
The White House
May 29, 2026
REALIGNING THE CHILDHOOD VACCINE SCHEDULE WITH INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to acknowledge a recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) scientific assessment on childhood vaccines as a guiding resource for the Federal Government. This scientific assessment can help to align the United States’ childhood vaccine practices with scientific evidence and best practices from peer, developed countries.
The Executive Order directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to review the HHS scientific assessment, which included best practices from peer, developed countries for core childhood vaccination recommendations — vaccines recommended for all children — and take any appropriate steps to update the U.S. childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule.
ACIP’s review should consider ways to provide maximum flexibility to parents and doctors through recommendations for timing and sequencing of the administration of routine immunizations.
All executive departments and agencies are directed ensure all actions, regulations, funding, and coverage related to child and adolescent immunizations fully align with the updated schedule recommended by the ACIP as a result of its consideration of the scientific assessment, and accordingly adopted by the CDC, while ensuring that Americans retain all of the access that they currently have to vaccines.
The Order further directs HHS to ensure that State government and health officials are informed of the policies of the Federal government regarding child and adolescent immunizations and that the scientific assessment is available as a resource to inform their consideration of State vaccination laws.
ENSURING AMERICANS ARE RECEIVING THE BEST MEDICAL ADVICE IN THE WORLD: The HHS scientific assessment compared U.S. childhood immunization recommendations with those of peer nations, analyzed vaccine uptake and public trust, evaluated clinical and epidemiological evidence and knowledge gaps, and examined vaccine mandates.
The scientific assessment found that the United States currently recommends more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, including more than twice as many vaccine doses as some European nations, and identified a set of consensus vaccines that are consistently recommended in all peer countries. In 1980, American children following the CDC immunization schedule received 23 vaccine doses in 7 shots against 7 different diseases. In 2024, the recommended number of routine vaccines had risen to at least 84 vaccine doses in at least 57 shots for 17 diseases, plus the RSV monoclonal antibody immunization for a total of 18 diseases. This is more than other developed nations.
The scientific assessment recommends prioritizing 11 routine childhood vaccines, while preserving flexibility for parents and doctors to make individualized decisions for higher-risk children through shared clinical decision-making.
The scientific assessment also found that, instead of implementing vaccination mandates, most peer nations maintain high childhood vaccination rates through public trust and education.
The U.S. is among a minority of peer nations with childhood vaccine mandates (enacted by individual U.S. states) for school entry.
By signing today’s Executive Order, President Trump is reaffirming his commitment to gold-standard science, ensuring Americans receive the best possible medical advice, and empowering patients and doctors with maximum flexibility.
MAKING OUR CHILDREN HEALTHY AGAIN: President Trump is committed to building a healthier future for America, starting with our youngest generation.
In February, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the President’s MAHA Commission, tasking the Commission with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis—with an initial focus on childhood chronic diseases.
The Trump Administration ended the blanket recommendation for all children to get the COVID-19 vaccine, updating its recommendation to be based on shared clinical decision-making between patients and clinicians.
In May, the MAHA Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment, summarizing what is known and what questions remain regarding the childhood chronic disease crisis.
In September, the MAHA Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy , a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic. The strategy prioritized development of a vaccine framework that ensures America has the best childhood vaccine schedule.
In December, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to begin the process to align U.S. core childhood vaccine recommendations with best practices from peer, developed countries.
