Salem, Oregon – A coalition of states, led by Attorney General Dan Rayfield, has taken the Trump Administration to court over what they describe as a sweeping and unlawful rewrite of the nation’s childhood immunization policy.
The lawsuit, filed against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jay Bhattacharya, as well as the CDC and HHS, challenges both the revised vaccine schedule and the restructuring of the federal advisory panel that shapes vaccine guidance.
At the heart of the complaint is a January 5, 2026 “Decision Memo” issued by the CDC that removed seven vaccines from the list of universally recommended childhood immunizations. Those vaccines protect against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The states argue that this action downgraded long-standing public health guidance without scientific justification and created confusion for families and healthcare providers.
Rayfield pointed to immediate consequences in Oregon, where state health officials recently declared a measles outbreak, with most confirmed cases involving unvaccinated individuals. He warned that preventable diseases resurface when confidence in established vaccines erodes, emphasizing the need to rely on medical science and protect children.
“In Oregon, we’re already seeing the consequences of the federal government’s reckless actions and vaccine narrative,” said Attorney General Rayfield.
“Just last week, our state health officials declared a measles outbreak – with most confirmed cases linked to unvaccinated individuals. Preventable diseases are returning when we undermine public confidence in proven vaccines. We must trust science, trust doctors, and protect our children.”
The lawsuit also challenges changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel of medical and public health experts that has advised federal vaccine policy for decades. In June 2025, Secretary Kennedy dismissed all 17 voting members of ACIP and replaced them. According to the complaint, many of the new appointees do not meet the scientific qualifications required under the committee’s charter and federal law.
In December 2025, the restructured ACIP reversed nearly three decades of policy by eliminating the recommendation for a universal hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth. Shortly afterward, the CDC formalized broader changes through the January memo, signed by then-Acting Director Jim O’Neill.
The states contend that the memo was not supported by new scientific evidence or a lawful advisory process. Instead, they argue, it relied on comparisons to other countries while overlooking key differences in healthcare systems and access to primary care in the United States.
Citing research estimating that routine childhood vaccines prevented hundreds of millions of illnesses and more than a million deaths among children born between 1994 and 2023, the coalition is asking the court to declare the revised schedule and ACIP appointments unlawful. They seek to block and overturn both actions.
Joining Oregon in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, along with the Governor of Pennsylvania.
