The President on May 29, 2026, signed Executive Order 14407 directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to review a scientific assessment and take appropriate steps to update the United States childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule. The order was published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026.
The document details the findings of a Department of Health and Human Services scientific assessment, which compared United States childhood immunization recommendations with those of peer nations. According to the order, the assessment found that the United States recommends more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, including more than twice as many vaccine doses as some European nations. The assessment also found that most peer nations maintain high childhood vaccination rates through public trust and education instead of implementing vaccination mandates.
The executive order establishes a United States policy that the core childhood vaccine schedule should be aligned with scientific evidence and best practices from peer, developed countries. The order states this policy will preserve access to currently available vaccines, protect religious freedom, and enforce legal protections for parents.
Under the order, the CDC and the advisory committee are directed to review the scientific assessment and the latest clinical data and, to the extent permitted by law, take appropriate steps to update the schedule. The committee’s review should consider ways to provide parents and doctors maximum flexibility regarding the timing and sequencing of routine immunizations. Executive departments and agencies must ensure all actions, regulations, funding, and coverage related to immunizations align with the schedule recommended by the committee and adopted by the CDC.
The order states that all immunizations on the schedule recommended by the committee and adopted by the CDC should continue to be covered without cost sharing by private insurance, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children Program.
The HHS Director of the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs is directed to ensure that state government and health officials are informed of the policies in the order. The director should also ensure the scientific assessment is available as a resource to inform their consideration of state vaccination laws. The Department of Health and Human Services will bear the publication costs for the order.