California, West Coast States Condemn Trump Administration’s Decision to Revise Pediatric Vaccine Schedule

California, joined by Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, condemned the Trump administration’s recent decision to downgrade certain pediatric vaccine recommendations, warning the move could increase vaccine-preventable diseases among children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decision to revise the pediatric immunization schedule “significantly” reduces the number of vaccines recommended for U.S. children, the West Coast Health Alliance said in a statement on January 5, 2026.

“Children getting sick from the diseases prevented by recommended immunizations leads to missed school for children, missed work for parents, and even hospitalization and death in some children,” the Alliance said.

California joined the states of Oregon, Hawaii, and Washington to launch the West Coast Health Alliance in 2025. 

The Alliance said it recommends childhood vaccines in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.​

The existing AAP vaccine recommendations are based on “established vaccine safety and effectiveness evidence,” the statement said. 

The West Coast Health Alliance continues to recommend vaccination in alignment with the @AmerAcadPeds Child & Adolescent Immunization Schedule. This schedule is based on strong evidence of vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Learn more: https://t.co/FagSicuUda 1/5 pic.twitter.com/a0lRsviG0C

— California Department of Public Health (@CAPublicHealth) January 6, 2026

Downgrading the vaccine recommendations “endangers the lives of infants, children, and their caregivers,” California Governor Newsom said in a statement on January 5, 2026. 

While the “reckless move by the Trump administration” is not linked with science or informed choice, “it’s about appeasing a debunked anti-vaccine agenda being pushed by RFK Jr. and his allies,” Governor Newsom said in the statement. 

Stating that the decision puts infants and children “at real risk,” Governor Newsom said, “Undermining the prior CDC’s childhood vaccine schedule flies in the face of decades of medical expertise and puts ideology over evidence.”

Update on Childhood Immunization Recommendations

On January 5, 2026, President Trump directed the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) via a Presidential Memorandum to structure pediatric childhood vaccination schedules after examining peer, developed countries and assessing the scientific evidence. 

After assessing 20 peer countries, it was observed that the U.S. is a global outlier among developed nations in both the number of diseases addressed in its routine childhood vaccination schedule as well as the total number of recommended doses. However, the U.S. does not have higher vaccination rates than these countries.

Under the new recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to organize its pediatric immunization schedule in three categories:

• Immunizations recommended for all children
• Immunizations recommended for certain high-risk groups or populations
• Immunizations based on shared clinical decision-making

The first category will include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella (chickenpox), according to the statement. 

California’s Health Care Initiatives

Even as federal health leadership weakens, California has “routinely stepped in to fill the gaps,” Governor Newsom said in the statement. 

In December 2025, Governor Newsom launched the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange, a new California-led initiative to modernize public health infrastructure and “maintain  trust in science-driven decision-making.”

In October 2025, California joined 14 more states to launch the Governors Public Health Alliance, a non-partisan group coordinating public health leadership across the country, the statement said. 

In September 2025, Governor Newsom signed AB 144 that authorizes California to base immunization guidance on credible, independent medical organizations instead of the “CDC’s increasingly politicized” Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the statement noted. 

“That same day, the West Coast Health Alliance announced coordinated winter virus vaccination recommendations, including the 2025–26 COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines,” the statement added.