Realigning United States Core Childhood Vaccine Recommendations With Best Practices From Peer, Developed Countries

Executive Order 14407 of May 29, 2026

Realigning United States Core Childhood Vaccine
Recommendations With Best Practices From Peer,
Developed Countries

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Pursuant to the
Presidential Memorandum of December 5, 2025 (Aligning
United States Core Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
with Best Practices from Peer, Developed Countries)
(Memorandum), the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) completed a scientific assessment that
compared United States childhood immunization
recommendations with those of peer nations, analyzed
vaccine uptake and public trust, evaluated clinical and
epidemiological evidence and knowledge gaps, and
examined vaccine mandates (scientific assessment). The
scientific assessment found that the United States
currently recommends more childhood vaccines than any
peer nation, including more than twice as many vaccine
doses as some European nations, and identified a set of
consensus vaccines that are consistently recommended in
all peer countries. The scientific assessment also
found that, instead of implementing vaccination
mandates, most peer nations maintain high childhood
vaccination rates through public trust and education.

My Administration is committed to ensuring that
Americans are receiving the best scientifically
supported medical advice in the world. Additionally, my
Administration is committed to protecting religious
liberty and parental authority. Therefore, it is the
policy of the United States that the core childhood
vaccine schedule should be aligned with scientific
evidence and best practices from peer, developed
countries while preserving access to vaccines currently
available to Americans and that the Federal Government
will continue to protect religious freedom and enforce
all legal protections for parents.

Sec. 2. Updating the Childhood Vaccine Schedule. (a)
The scientific assessment, with its proposed updates to
the categories of the vaccine schedule, is acknowledged
as a guiding resource for the Federal Government.

(b) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and its Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) shall review the scientific assessment
and the latest clinical data and, to the extent
permitted by law, take any appropriate steps to update
the United States childhood and adolescent vaccine
schedule. ACIP's review should consider ways to provide
maximum flexibility to parents and doctors through
recommendations for timing and sequencing of the
administration of routine immunizations.
(c) Each executive department and agency shall
ensure all actions, regulations, funding, and coverage
related to child and adolescent immunizations align
with the schedule recommended by the ACIP and adopted
by the CDC, including fulfilling all legal obligations
with respect to parental authority, religious freedom,
disability accommodations, and equal protection under
the law. Specifically, consistent with the Memorandum
and as recommended in the scientific assessment, all
the immunizations that are in any category on the
schedule recommended by the ACIP and adopted by the CDC
should continue to be covered without cost sharing by
private insurance and covered by Medicaid, the
Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines
for Children Program.

(d) The HHS Director of the Office of
Intergovernmental and External Affairs shall ensure
that State government and health officials are informed
of the policies in this order and should ensure that
the scientific assessment is available as a resource to
inform their consideration of State vaccination laws.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
(d) The costs for publication of this order shall
be borne by the Department of Health and Human
Services.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

May 29, 2026.