In brief
On 10 August 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to cut the number of core childhood vaccines and split MMR shots into separate visits. The order lists 11 essential vaccines, including measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib, pneumococcal, HPV, and varicella. Trump claimed older vaccine schedules were safer and tied the move to a perceived rise in autism, though scientific studies show no link. Federal authority remains limited, and state governments still set mandatory school vaccination requirements.
Trump Signs Order to Reduce Childhood Vaccination Schedule
President Donald Trump announced the signing of an executive order today that will limit the number of core childhood vaccinations and split the MMR shots into separate visits.
The order reflects Trump’s claim that older times required fewer shots and that unprecedented rises in autism rates are related to modern schedules.
The administration has historically promoted a disputed link between the measles‑mumps‑rubella vaccine and autism, though a broad consensus of research has found no evidence of such a connection.
Because the federal government cannot dictate school‑attendance vaccination lists, states retain authority over mandates; this order therefore only specifies recommended core shots.
The new schedule includes eleven core vaccines: measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella (chickenpox).
The signing ceremony was held in the Oval Office on 10 August 2026, where Trump spoke alongside officials such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jay Bhattacharya, and Deputy Assistant President Dr. Heidi Overton.
