One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Trump and RFK Jr try again to upend vaccines for kids
President Trump speaks before signing an executive order that calls for changing the childhood vaccine schedule.
(
Jim Watson
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Listen
3:53
Trump and RFK Jr. try again to upend vaccines for kids
This is a developing story that will be updated.
President Trump signed another executive order aimed at trying to upend the way U.S. children are vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases.
The new executive order, signed Monday afternoon in the Oval Office, calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines recommended by the federal government.
It also calls for breaking up the shot known as the MMR, which is now given as a single vaccination for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. The order advises breaking it up into separate shots.
The order also directs the Justice Department to pressure states to reduce the number of vaccines required for school.
The moves will likely be challenged in court, as previous similar attempts to change the childhood vaccination schedule have been.
At the signing ceremony, the president talked about vaccines needing to be studied in light of rising autism rates, a thoroughly studied and debunked theory.
Sponsored message
The news was welcomed by vaccine critics and denounced by many public health experts.
Copyright 2026 NPR
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
