Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over changes made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended childhood vaccine schedule.
“I’m suing the Trump Administration to challenge their illegal overhaul of the CDC’s long-standing recommendations for children’s vaccinations. Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s blatant disregard for science threatens public health and erodes trust in our institutions,” Shapiro stated.
“My Administration will continue to rely on qualified experts like the American Academy of Pediatrics to lead the guidance Pennsylvanians receive to keep themselves and their families healthy,” he added.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Rapid Response characterized the lawsuit as a “publicity stunt dressed up as a lawsuit,” noting that by law, the health secretary holds clear authority over CDC immunization schedule determinations.
Altogether, 15 states have joined Shapiro’s lawsuit over the revised childhood vaccine schedule. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office declared: “California is co-leading a multi-state lawsuit against the Center for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and others for violating federal law and advancing vaccine policies unsupported by science.”
Newsom highlighted recent initiatives to counter federal actions, including launching California’s Public Health Network Innovation Exchange in December 2025—a program engaging national health leaders such as Dr. Susan Monarez (former CDC Director), Dr. Debra Houry (former CDC Chief Medical Officer), and Dr. Katelyn Jetelina (founder of Your Local Epidemiologist). In October 2025, Newsom joined 14 other governors in establishing the Governors Public Health Alliance to coordinate national emergency response efforts. By September 2025, California also partnered with Oregon, Hawaii, and Washington for the West Coast Health Alliance, aligning immunization recommendations through respected medical organizations.
Newsom asserted: “California is going back to court because the Trump administration is violating federal law and pushing a reckless, unscientific childhood vaccine schedule that puts kids’ lives at risk. These changes ignore decades of medical evidence and will lead to outbreaks of diseases we’ve already beaten.”
A separate 2025 lawsuit by health organizations also seeks to block the revised schedule. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy has not yet ruled on the request after hearing parties in Boston earlier this month, as he evaluates whether to allow Children’s Health Defense—founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—to intervene.
Government attorneys defended the changes, citing recommendations from top health officials including Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg (acting FDA director) and a memorandum signed by former CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill stating the update aimed to strengthen public trust in vaccines. They also maintained that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s replacement of CDC advisory committee members was legally sound due to members’ diverse roles and perspectives.
The lawsuit is led by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin alongside Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.