Trump Orders Review of U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule Amid Global Comparison Concerns

The president’s directive calls for a sweeping reassessment of the nation’s childhood vaccination regimen to ensure it aligns with global best practices.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

President Donald Trump has ordered federal health agencies to launch a comprehensive review of the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule, citing concerns that American children receive more vaccine doses than those in other developed nations, according to a memorandum reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The directive, addressed to top health officials, instructs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to compare the U.S. vaccine recommendations with those of peer countries and adjust domestic guidance if foreign practices prove more scientifically sound.

“In January 2025, the United States recommended vaccinating all children for 18 diseases, including COVID-19, making our country a high outlier in the number of vaccinations recommended for all children,” the memo states. “Study is warranted to ensure that Americans are receiving the best, scientifically-supported medical advice in the world.”

The memorandum notes that while the U.S. currently advises vaccination for 18 diseases, Denmark recommends 10, Japan 14, and Germany 15. Trump’s order directs HHS and CDC leaders to “adopt best practices from other countries if deemed more medically sound.”

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long criticized the volume and timing of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, is expected to lead the review alongside CDC Director Mandy Cohen.

The initiative follows the Trump administration’s decision earlier this year to end the blanket recommendation that all children receive annual COVID-19 booster shots indefinitely. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Chief Medical Officer Vinay Prasad announced in May that the agency would not approve additional COVID-19 boosters for children or healthy non-elderly adults without clear clinical evidence of benefit.

On Friday, Prasad told his staff at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research that an internal review by career scientists linked the deaths of 10 children to the COVID vaccine. He also announced new vaccine oversight measures and urged “introspection” within the agency.

Trump’s memorandum follows a two-day meeting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, during which members voted to revise Hepatitis B vaccination guidance to match the policies of 24 peer nations.

An accompanying presentation by FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Acting Director Tracy Beth Høeg underscored the discrepancies between the U.S. and other advanced nations’ immunization schedules.

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“Why are we so different from other developed nations, and is it ethically and scientifically justified?” Høeg asked during the session. “We owe our children science-based recommendations here in the United States.”

A CDC chart from January 2025 illustrated the wide gap in the number of total recommended vaccines before the administration’s policy change, showing the U.S. far ahead of its peers.

The Trump administration’s review aims to determine whether America’s current vaccine recommendations represent the most evidence-based, ethical, and globally aligned approach to childhood immunization.