President Donald Trump Signs Order on Childhood Vaccine Recommendations

National News - President Donald Trump signed an executive order today laying out new "Gold Standard" recommendations for childhood vaccines. The order is meant to give parents more information and more choice when it comes to vaccinating their children, according to the White House.

Under the new recommendations, children would be advised to get vaccines for 11 diseases. That is down from the 18 diseases recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2024, the White House said.

Vaccines no longer recommended for every child would shift to what the order calls shared clinical decision-making. That means parents and doctors would decide together whether those vaccines are right for their child.

The order also recommends splitting the combined MMR vaccine into three separate shots for measles, mumps and rubella. It suggests giving vaccines during separate visits so parents have more say over timing and pace.

States with school vaccine requirements are encouraged to review the new recommendations and consider updating their laws to match, according to the White House. Federal agencies have also been directed to use the new standards when sharing vaccine information with the public.

The order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with the department's Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines. That task force will study the risks and benefits of childhood vaccines using data from the U.S. and other countries, then report back to the president.

The changes follow a scientific assessment released by HHS in January 2026. According to the administration, that assessment found the United States recommends more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, in some cases more than double the doses given in European countries.

The assessment also compared today's schedule with the one used in 1980. Back then, children received 23 vaccine doses across 7 shots for 7 diseases. By 2024, that had grown to at least 84 doses in 57 shots covering 18 diseases, according to HHS.

The White House said most peer nations keep vaccination rates high through public trust and education rather than mandates. The order notes the United States is among a small number of peer nations that require certain childhood vaccines for children to attend school.

This is not the administration's first move on the issue. In February 2025, Trump signed an order creating the President's MAHA Commission to look into childhood chronic disease, which released a strategy in September 2025 with more than 120 proposals for reform.