Gavin Newsom announced that California is co-leading a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over recent changes to federal vaccine recommendations for children.
The lawsuit marks another legal clash between Newsom and the Trump Administration, with California joining 14 other states in challenging the federal decision.
Newsom is challenging a January 2026 update that reclassified seven childhood vaccines from “universally recommended” status to a shared clinical decision-making category.
California is helping lead a multi-state lawsuit against RFK Jr. and the CDC for illegally removing 7 childhood vaccines from the federal list of universally recommended shots.
We’re not sitting back while the Trump Administration threatens kids with preventable diseases.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) February 24, 2026
According to the lawsuit, the decision violates federal law and bypassed established scientific review processes.
At the center of the dispute is the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal advisory panel that traditionally reviews vaccine data and makes recommendations based on scientific evidence.
The lawsuit also names Secretary Kennedy, CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as defendants.
Newsom said the administration’s actions disregard decades of medical research and could put children at risk. “We will not stand by while politics overrides science and endangers our children,” he said.
According to the federal decision memo, vaccines moved to shared clinical decision-making include those protecting against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza, and COVID-19.
State officials warned that the changes could lower vaccination rates and increase the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases, citing rising measles cases as an example of how reduced coverage can affect communities.
The lawsuit also argues that the changes could increase state costs, including higher Medicaid spending and additional public health expenses.
Attorney General Rob Bonta cited estimates that between 1994 and 2023, routine childhood immunizations prevented approximately 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations, and more than 1.1 million deaths in the United States, generating an estimated $2.7 trillion in societal savings.
Bonta said the figures demonstrate the long-term value of evidence-based immunization schedules and stressed that public health decisions must be grounded in scientific evidence and federal law.
On January 5, 2026, Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill, serving as Acting CDC Director, signed the memorandum adopting the revised childhood and adolescent immunization schedule following a directive from President Donald Trump to review global vaccination practices.
Fight the kakistocracy!
If you haven’t seen the MAHA commercial with the two coke addicts RFK and Kid Rock then check it out. I understand now why it is reported that grindr crashes any time any city hosts a Republican event.