Trump to sign executive order calling for spacing out childhood shots

August 11, 2026 - 03:25

President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that directs federal health agencies to study and promote a new schedule for childhood immunizations, one that spaces out shots into separate visits and breaks up the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into three individual doses.

The order, which could be signed as early as this week, stops short of banning any vaccine. Instead, it instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to review current recommendations and publish data on alternative schedules. The goal, according to officials familiar with the plan, is to give parents more flexibility in how their children receive shots, while still maintaining protection against disease.

The move is a significant shift in federal policy. For decades, the standard schedule has been set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That schedule calls for the MMR shot at 12 to 15 months, with a second dose at 4 to 6 years. The new order would push for those components to be given separately, months apart, which runs counter to decades of research showing the combined shot is safe and effective.

Supporters of the change argue that some children react poorly to receiving multiple vaccines at once and that spacing them out reduces stress on the immune system. They point to rising rates of vaccine hesitancy and say a more flexible approach could rebuild trust.

Public health experts, however, warn that splitting the MMR vaccine does not improve safety and leaves children vulnerable to measles for longer periods. They also note that there is no evidence that spacing out shots reduces side effects. The American Medical Association has already come out against the order, calling it a step backward for public health.

The executive order will also direct the FDA to explore whether manufacturers can produce single-antigen versions of the MMR vaccine for the U.S. market. Those versions exist in other countries but are not currently licensed in the United States.