Josh Shapiro joins suit against Trump, RFK Jr over childhood vax schedule

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that he is suing the Trump administration over its overhaul of federal recommendations for children’s vaccinations.

Shapiro joined a multi-state lawsuit alleging that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unlawfully replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine recommendations. The lawsuit argues that replacing the panel has made the revised recommendations unlawful. Fifteen states, all led by Democrats, have joined the lawsuit.

“Donald Trump and RFK Jr.’s blatant disregard for science threatens public health and erodes trust in our institutions,” Shapiro wrote on X. “My Administration will continue to rely on qualified experts like the [American Academy of Pediatrics] to lead the guidance Pennsylvanians receive to keep themselves and their families healthy.”

Last month, the CDC issued a memo stating that it no longer universally recommends several childhood vaccines, including those for flu, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and B, COVID-19, and RSV. The move followed a December presidential memorandum in which President Donald Trump directed Kennedy and the CDC’s acting director to examine how peer-developed nations structure their childhood vaccination schedules and to evaluate the evidence underlying them.

"President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better," RFK Jr. said. "After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health."

In its assessment, the CDC said it compared US childhood immunization recommendations with those of peer nations, analyzing vaccine uptake, public trust, clinical evidence, knowledge gaps, and the role of mandates. The review found that the US recommends protection against more diseases and a higher total number of vaccine doses than any of the peer nations studied, yet does not achieve higher vaccination rates.