Fifteen states are joining forces to sue the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acting director Jay Bhattacharya for revoking the qualification for recommending seven children’s vaccines. The reason cited is that this policy could lead to children contracting preventable diseases.
Leading this joint lawsuit are the Attorneys General of California and Pennsylvania, with the other 13 states being Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
On January 5th, the CDC announced that, in accordance with a memorandum from President Trump and to align the U.S. vaccine schedule with international consensus, the center re-evaluated the childhood immunization program. Through reviewing 20 developed countries, the CDC found significant differences between the diseases covered and the total vaccine doses recommended in the routine childhood immunization program compared to other developed countries, yet vaccination rates were not higher. In fact, many countries with fewer recommended routine vaccines achieved good child health outcomes and maintained higher vaccination rates through public trust and education rather than mandatory vaccination.
In 2024, the U.S. recommended more types of children’s vaccines than any other developed country, with recommended doses being more than twice as much as some European countries. For example, Denmark has only 10 types of children’s vaccines recommended, while the U.S. recommends 18.
Former CDC acting director Jim O’Neill previously stated, “Data supports the development of more targeted immunization schedules that can both protect children from the most serious infectious diseases and improve the clarity, adherence, and public trust of the vaccination program.” Bhattacharya took office in early February, and it is reported that Trump may appoint O’Neill to lead the National Science Foundation.
The assessment report also noted a significant drop in public trust in medical institutions between 2020-2024, and at the same time, the vaccination rate of U.S. children has been declining.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said, “Public health can only be effective when people trust it. This trust relies on transparency, rigorous science, and respect for families.”
The updated children’s vaccines by the CDC are divided into three categories: the first category includes 11 vaccines recommended for all children, such as measles, mumps, rubella, poliovirus, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and varicella vaccines.
The second category consists of vaccines recommended for specific high-risk groups or populations. There is also a category of vaccines based on shared clinical decision-making. Insurance companies are required to cover all vaccines from these categories for free.
The 15 states in the joint lawsuit against HHS and CDC aim to reduce the mandatory children’s vaccines from 18 to 11. California Governor Newsom said, “The Trump administration’s attacks on science are irresponsible and dangerous. Undermining confidence in vaccines will lead to lower vaccination rates, increased cases of infectious diseases, increased costs for states, including increased Medicaid spending, and new costs for combating misinformation and revising public health guidelines.”
“Public health decisions must be based on facts and truth. This is why I am suing the Trump administration for the 59th time,” Newsom added. “When lives are threatened, and the law is violated, my Attorney General colleagues and I cannot stand idly by.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated, “The federal government’s forced advancement of the child vaccination program without scientific support, review, or public participation, while bypassing established processes and procedures, is illegal.”
The seven children’s vaccines not recommended in the first category include rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont stated that the effectiveness of vaccines in controlling the spread of infectious diseases has been verified for generations, with no valid medical reason to modify the guidelines. “Changing these national guidelines will only confuse and create anxiety for parents, burden doctors and healthcare professionals even more and, worst of all, jeopardize children’s health,” he said. “Medical decisions must be based on science, not conspiracy theories.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said, “For decades, the CDC’s childhood immunization program has been based on rigorous scientific evidence, saving millions of lives,” but “Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration have disregarded this science.”
“They dismissed qualified experts… and devised a dangerous new vaccination plan that puts children in Arizona and across the country at risk of preventable diseases,” Mayes criticized. Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June last year, and the current 13 members, the majority of whom have openly expressed views consistent with Kennedy’s.
The restructured ACIP removed the hepatitis B vaccine administered within 24 hours of birth. Mayes stated in a press release that this vaccine has an efficacy rate as high as 90% in preventing hepatitis B infection in perinatal children, with the perinatal period usually referring to the baby’s time from the beginning of delivery to 28 days after birth.
The joint lawsuit by the 15 states also seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, requesting a declaration that the Secretary of Health’s vaccine program and the officials appointed are illegal, and asking for the reversal of their decisions.