Metro Philadelphia
Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a multistate lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Trump Administration’s overhaul of the national childhood immunization schedule.
The lawsuit, led by Kris Mayes of Arizona and Rob Bonta of California and joined by Pennsylvania and 12 other states, contests a Jan. 5, 2026 “Decision Memo” issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The memo revised the federal childhood immunization schedule and removed the universally recommended status of seven vaccines: rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
“The Trump Administration and RFK Jr. are once again ignoring decades of science and evidence, pushing slop research that isn’t based in reality and actively imposing new policies that will lead to more children getting sick from preventable diseases,” said Shapiro. “I’m going to court to ensure doctors and qualified experts are making vaccine recommendations; not conspiracy theorists.”
According to the complaint, the administration bypassed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the expert panel that has long guided federal vaccine policy. The suit also challenges changes to the committee’s membership, claiming that Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed several members in June 2025, and appointed new members whose qualifications are disputed by the states.
The states argue that the revised schedule and the reconstitution of the advisory committee are unlawful and create uncertainty for health care providers, insurers and public health systems. They are seeking a declaration that the new vaccine guidance and committee appointments violate federal law.
“Every Pennsylvanian deserves accurate information to make their own health care decisions when consulting with their doctors — and science, not politics, will continue to guide our health care decisions here in the Commonwealth,” Shapiro said in a statement.
The legal action follows several steps Pennsylvania officials have taken in response to federal vaccine policy changes. In August 2025, after major pharmacies halted COVID-19 vaccinations, Shapiro asked the State Board of Pharmacy to convene to address the disruptions in vaccine access. The board later voted to allow pharmacists to follow guidance from organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In September 2025, the state Department of Health created Pennsylvania’s own vaccination guidance on recommendations from those organizations. The state’s medical, nursing and osteopathic boards formally endorsed the guidance.
In October 2025, Shapiro signed Executive Order 2025-02, directing the Department of Health to establish a state-based framework to maintain vaccine access, align state policies with medical organizations, and create an online vaccine information portal, and education workgroup. The order also directed state agencies to support continued vaccine coverage through Medicaid and private insurance and to coordinate with schools and services for older adults.
In addition to Pennsylvania, the lawsuit includes the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.