Fifteen States Sue Trump Administration Over Childhood Vaccine Schedule Revisions

Multistate Lawsuit Filed Against Trump Administration Over Vaccine Policy

A coalition of fifteen U.S. states, predominantly led by Democrats, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, against the Trump administration. The legal action challenges recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) childhood vaccine recommendations and the alleged unlawful restructuring of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The plaintiff states argue that these revisions pose significant public health risks to children across the nation.

Controversial Revisions to Childhood Immunization Schedule

The lawsuit specifically targets a 'Decision Memo' issued by the CDC on January 5, 2026, which removed seven childhood vaccines from the list of those universally recommended. These vaccines protect against critical diseases, including:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Influenza
• COVID-19
• Rotavirus
• Meningococcal disease
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Under the new guidance, protection against these diseases is now recommended only for specific high-risk groups or through 'shared decision-making' between parents and physicians. The states contend that these changes are not supported by scientific evidence and disregard long-standing medical guidance.

Challenge to Advisory Committee Appointments

Beyond the vaccine schedule itself, the lawsuit also challenges the 'unlawful replacement' of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP is the federal panel of experts historically responsible for guiding U.S. vaccine policy. According to the complaint, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a named defendant, fired all 17 voting members of ACIP last year (2025) and replaced them with his own selections, who are described as vaccine skeptics. The lawsuit alleges that these appointments and the subsequent actions of the new committee, such as reversing a nearly 30-year policy on the hepatitis B vaccine, violate federal law.

States' Concerns and Administration's Defense

The lawsuit, co-led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, includes attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and the Governor of Pennsylvania. They argue that the administration's actions will lead to lower vaccination rates, an increase in preventable diseases, and place a significant strain on state public health systems and resources. Attorney General Mayes stated, 'The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue.'

In response, Emily G. Hilliard, HHS Press Secretary, dismissed the lawsuit as a 'publicity stunt dressed up as a lawsuit.' She asserted that the health secretary possesses clear authority to determine the CDC immunization schedule and ACIP's composition, and that the reforms align with 'common-sense public health policy shared by peer, developed countries.' The lawsuit names Secretary Kennedy, CDC Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the CDC as defendants. The states are seeking a court order to declare the new vaccine schedule and ACIP appointments unlawful, and to vacate and set them aside.