Donald Trump’s half-baked, lie-packed executive order demanding the MMR vaccine be spilt up over non-existent autism risks was immediately met with broad bipartisan revulsion from doctors, public health experts, and lawmakers for putting children at risk of deadly yet preventable disease and setting up families for far more doctor visits that insurance may not cover at all — putting more kids’ in harm’s way while sticking their parents with even higher medical bills.
- Axios: [T]he announcement could further erode trust in vaccines and public health, in the midst of foodborne and infectious disease outbreaks, including measles. … The overwhelming majority of scientists and public health experts say the benefits of vaccines greatly outweigh the risks, and though the shots do have rare side effects, no link to autism has been found in numerous studies. […] “If Trump’s baseless, science-free decree is followed, the end result will not be fewer children with autism, but far more in the ER or even the morgue,” health advocacy group Protect Our Care said in a statement. “All Trump is doing is fanning more unfounded fear, pressuring a further drop in vaccination rates, and welcoming a resurgence of preventable diseases once thought eradicated.”
- New York Times: Fact-Checking the Trump Administration’s Claims About Vaccines: A combination shot for measles, mumps and rubella is safe and convenient; Aluminum is safe and beneficial in vaccines; A narrower schedule could cause serious harm; The number and volume of childhood shots are not cause for concern; Vaccines have been well-studied on their own and in combination; Studies have shown no link to autism.
- Former Trump Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams: “The new EO on vaccines will make life harder & more expensive for parents who want to vaccinate their kids. What used to be one office visit + one low-cost comboshot (~$10–$75 range… or free under VFC) will now be THREE separate shots at three separate visits. MORE trips, MORE time off work, MORE admin fees, MORE hassle, MORE pain for America’s children – and higher odds kids miss doses. “Big Pharma” & healthcare providers? They could actually sell/administer THREE TIMES the product and bills for three visits under this EO!”
- The Hill: American Academy of Pediatrics calls Trump vaccine order ‘dangerous’: The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics blasted President Trump’s Monday executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines. […] “As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, today’s executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening but dangerous,” Dr. Andrew Racine said in a release. “Instead of ensuring every family can access life-saving vaccines for measles, influenza, RSV and more, federal leaders are once again spreading misleading claims,” he added.
- American College of Physicians: “If implemented, the changes could increase costs to patients and families, including additional copays while also placing a greater burden on families needing to schedule multiple appointments for a multiple-dose MMR vaccine. … The changes that this executive order directs falsely cast doubt on the use of vaccines counter to decades of evidence demonstrating their safety and efficacy and could put the health and well-being of children, families, and communities at risk.”
- STAT News: The order also calls for the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, to be broken up into three vaccines. That wouldn’t be possible, experts say, without years of work and investment to make a change not supported by evidence.
- Infectious Diseases Society of America: “At a time when measles outbreaks are already threatening communities across the country, making vaccination more complicated and burdensome risks further reducing vaccination rates and leaving more children vulnerable to a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.”
- Associated Press: Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit. Childhood vaccines — and how and when to give them in combination — go through rigorous studies, and safety tracking continues for years as the shots are used. […] Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the announcement spreads uncertainty, fear and confusion where “there doesn’t need to be any of that.” He disputed Trump’s recommendations and said previous ones should stand. “Science about vaccines and their efficacy has not changed,” he said. “The distribution of viruses and other pathogens in our environment has not changed. Children in this country have not changed in the last 48 hours.”
- Reuters: Physicians roundly rejected the action, saying no new science warranted a change, and that the U.S. schedule reflects decades of evidence and the specific health needs of Americans, rejecting the comparison to other countries. Fewer recommended shots will leave more children exposed to preventable diseases, they said. […] The main outcome would be “confusion for parents,” said Dr. Aaron Milstone of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Conflicting messages, he added, would likely lead parents to delay vaccination.
Merck said there is no published scientific evidence showing any benefit to splitting the MMR shot into three, and that using the individual components increases injections and can lead to delayed or missed immunizations. Dr. Elizabeth Mack, a pediatric critical care physician in Charleston, South Carolina, said no licensed single-antigen measles, mumps or rubella vaccines were available in the United States, making the recommendation unfeasible as written. “We don’t have a system that supports this,” she said, questioning whether extra visits would be required and if they would be reimbursed by insurers. - Washington Post: Medical experts, health care organizations, most Democratic officials and some Republicans, however, said that, at minimum, the new White House guidance would create confusion for parents and doctors. […] “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, wrote on X. “The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism. Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection.”
- Common Dreams: “Donald Trump and RFK Jr. have gambled with American lives and seem determined to turn the clock back on decades of medical and scientific progress,” said Congresswoman Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), an OB-GYN. “Communities across the country continue to face outbreaks of preventable diseases, and Trump and RFK Jr. are doubling down on their dangerous disinformation. Meanwhile, working families continue to see their healthcare and prescription drug costs skyrocket—all so Trump can pay for tax handouts for billionaires,” she added, referring to the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill signed by the president in July 2025. “Families shouldn’t have to worry that Trump and RFK Jr. will stand in the way of protecting themselves and their loved ones from serious illnesses.”
- Dr. Irwin Redlener, Pediatrician: We’re in the middle of the biggest measles outbreak in 35 years — and they make a series of announcements from the White House, from the Oval Office, that will actually exacerbate this outbreak… it’s just, from one end to the other, an extraordinary lack of of appreciation for the science.
- Dr. Richard Besser: The idea that the president of the United States would make these changes based on what he feels, flying in the face of decades of of of science, is — it’s absolutely unbelievable. I haven’t seen anything like this in my career. I practiced pediatrics for over 30 years and would always count on the recommendations that came from the expert committee that advised the CDC to ensure that what I was doing was safe, was effective, and I could go forward to my patients with confidence and make a recommendation.
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