Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking sweeping changes to the US childhood vaccination schedule, including an attempt to override the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authority to recommend vaccines.
The order would also call for measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to be given as three separate shots once separately licensed vaccines are available in the US, and says childhood immunizations should generally be administered at separate medical visits.
What the order directs
The order would support changes made earlier in 2026 to CDC vaccination recommendations that were halted by a federal judge. A White House official said the administration wants the number of recommended childhood immunization diseases reduced from 18 at the end of 2024 to 11.
It would move some vaccines into a high-risk-only category or into shared clinical decision-making, a classification requiring providers to weigh risks and benefits with families. The White House said vaccines in the latter category would remain recommendations, available to parents and expected to remain covered by insurance.
Why separate MMR shots are not immediately available
The order calls for the MMR vaccine to be split into separate measles, mumps and rubella shots. That cannot currently be done in the US because there are no separately licensed vaccines for the three diseases, and licensing takes years.
The order also says, “to the maximum extent feasible”, that all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits. The source says this could create additional financial and logistical pressure for families and medical providers.
What changes for families now
The executive order is guidance for federal agencies, not a law passed by Congress, and has no direct legal effect on the public. School vaccination requirements remain set by states and local authorities; the US has no nationwide vaccination mandate.
The White House official said the order is intended partly to alert states to the administration’s position as they consider legislation, including school attendance and entry requirements. Vaccine expert Dorit Reiss of UC Law San Francisco said it should have no direct operational effects but could increase political pressure on states.
Autism claims drew scientific criticism
Trump and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy repeatedly referred to autism during the signing. The source says dozens of studies show no link between vaccines and autism, and officials were pressed about the lack of new supporting evidence for the claim.
Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor, condemned the order and said vaccines do not cause autism. He also argued that separating vaccines would require children to receive more shots for the same protection and could make them less safe.
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