Dem
47
GOP
53
The big news yesterday was vaccine-related. With HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. standing at his side, Donald Trump signed an executive order that endeavors to change the schedule for childhood vaccines.
Broadly speaking, if the XO is actually implemented, there will be two major changes. The first is that a number of usually administered vaccines will be taken off the "recommended" list: respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibodies, along with vaccines against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY and dengue. The second, and the one that got the most attention, is that the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine will be split into three shots. So, the overall "philosophy" here, which is very much in line with the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement, is "fewer shots, administered over a longer timeframe."
Kennedy bragged that the new schedule is supported by evidence, which he called "gold-standard science." He did not specify what that evidence might be, though it is possible that "gold-standard science" means "science conducted when the U.S. was still on the gold standard, back in the 1930s." Trump said that by splitting the MMR vaccine, he was saving lives, because together they can be "quite lethal." He could offer no evidence to support that claim, however.
On the other hand, the American Medical Association has all the evidence you could want. It issued a statement yesterday saying the new schedule would "put children's health at risk." The American Academy of Pediatrics has plenty of evidence, too. Its statement observed that the policies of Trump and Kennedy have led to a 35-year high in the number of measles cases, and said that the XO is "dangerous."
Also unimpressed was Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is an M.D. He posted a statement to eX-Twitter that reads:
I'm a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes.
Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.
Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.
Parents should listen to their child's pediatrician about vaccines rather than listening to an inaccurate executive order. This is so wrong.
It is a shame that there is absolutely nothing Cassidy could have done to prevent this outcome.
All of this said, the new vaccine schedule is far from a done deal. First of all, recall that XOs are just instructions to the federal bureaucracy on how to do their jobs. Vaccines, however, are administered by states, as governed by the laws and policies of those states. So, the new XO is largely just a suggestion to states as to how they should change their approach. It's not binding.
Blue states are certainly going to ignore the new guidelines. Red states might ignore them, too. They don't particularly want pandemics on their hands. Nor do they want a bunch of sick infants, which is a definite risk when you go from a commodity that is known (MMR is safe) to a commodity that is unknown (M, then M, then R is not well-tested).
The other problem for Trump here is that HHS tried to change the vaccine schedule earlier this year, and got sued. In March, U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy hit HHS with an injunction that is still in effect. It is not probable that an executive order can be used as an end-run around an injunction. In other words, the administration is going to get sued again (probably today), and is likely going to lose again (probably not too long after today).
The upshot is that, as with so much that comes out of this White House, this looks like a political stunt more than a serious attempt at policymaking. We further assume that the genesis of this stunt is that the economy is dragging, the Iran War is a disaster, Trump's approval ratings are in the toilet, and the administration is looking for any Hail Mary pass it can come up with to try to change the narrative and rally the troops (in this case, the MAHA troops). So, we anticipate a bunch of other stunts like this one in the next month or two. (Z)