crs_reports: R48982

Congressional Research Service reports with summaries, authors, and topic classifications.

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id title publish_date update_date status content_type authors topics summary pdf_url html_url
R48982 The 2026 Childhood Immunization Schedule 2026-06-11T04:00:00Z 2026-06-13T05:38:17Z Active Reports Kavya Sekar, Alexandria K. Mickler, Vanessa C. Forsberg   Since 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has published an annual immunization schedule for children and adolescents (18 years of age and younger). Prior to 2026, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—a committee of experts who advise on U.S. vaccine policy—led the annual process of updating the schedule in consultation with federal health officials and nonfederal health groups, such as medical associations. In January 2026, the CDC Acting Director, forgoing the usual ACIP process, approved a new childhood immunization schedule developed solely by federal officials that included several changes to prior childhood vaccine recommendations. The schedule was supported by an assessment, developed by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other HHS officials, that outlined the rationale for the schedule’s recommended changes. The assessment centered on three primary concerns: (1) how the U.S. vaccination schedule compares with those of other countries, (2) public trust in vaccines, and (3) vaccine safety. This assessment was prompted by a December 2025 presidential memorandum that directed HHS and CDC to review childhood vaccine recommendations. As of March 16, 2026, this schedule is currently stayed (i.e., suspended) by a U.S. district court; the federal government appealed the ruling on April 29, 2026. On May 29, 2026, Executive Order 14407 (E.O. 14407) stated that the assessment, and its proposed 2026 updates to the childhood immunization schedule, are a “guiding resource” for the federal government. E.O. 14407 directs CDC and ACIP to review the assessment and the latest clinical data and, to the extent permitted by law, take steps to update the child and adolescent immunization schedules. The new schedule does not remove any vaccines from the previous childhood immunization schedule. The new schedule differs from the January 2025 schedule by incorporating prior 2025 ACIP-recommended changes to the COVID-19 and Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations; changing the recommendation type for three vaccines—Hepatitis A, Meningitis ACWY, and RSV—from a full recommendation for all children to risk-based and shared clinical decisionmaking recommendations, depending on a child’s risk from the disease that the vaccine protects against; changing the recommendation type for two vaccines—rotavirus and influenza—from a full recommendation for all children to a shared clinical decisionmaking recommendation; and changing the number of recommended doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The process, timeline, and methods used to develop the revised schedule also deviated from those used in prior updates. Many federal and state laws reference ACIP or CDC immunization recommendations, such as federal vaccine coverage requirements and certain state requirements on vaccine administration. CDC immunization recommendations also provide important guidance to clinicians in their practice. Following the January 2026 announcement, nonfederal professional medical society organizations have opposed the revised schedule and since published separate childhood vaccine schedules, which some states have adopted in their vaccine policy. These responses indicate the clinical and policy significance of the CDC immunization schedule and changes to the schedule, particularly if the 2026 revised schedule is allowed to go into effect. The specific potential federal policy implications of the 2026 schedule change are unclear at this time should the schedule go into effect. This CRS report begins with a summary of the changes to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule. It also summarizes the rationale for the changes, as outlined in the HHS assessment, and provides a brief discussion of the justifications presented in the assessment. This report also describes how the process used to revise the 2026 childhood immunization schedule deviated from prior procedures. The report concludes by outlining potential clinical and federal policy implications of the 2026 childhood immunization schedule. https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48982/R48982.2.pdf https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R48982.html

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