Trump Administration Expected to Pull COVID Vaccine Recommendation for Kids, Pregnant Women
Charlie Kirk Staff
05/15/2025

The Biden-era public health guidance urging universal COVID-19 vaccination for children and pregnant women may soon be dropped, according to a report that says the Trump administration is moving away from blanket vaccine recommendations.
The Department of Health and Human Services, now led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is planning to withdraw federal recommendations that promote COVID vaccination as routine for these groups, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The CDC currently advises everyone aged 6 months and older to get vaccinated, but that guidance could change in the coming days.
As of April, CDC data shows low uptake of the latest COVID booster, with only 13% of children and 14% of pregnant women receiving the shot. It’s unclear whether the guidance will be fully revoked or simply no longer promoted as a broad public health standard, according to the report.
Critics have raised concerns that scaling back these recommendations could reduce vaccination rates and increase health risks for vulnerable populations. Others argue that the shift would better reflect current scientific understanding and the public’s risk tolerance.
The move would mark a significant change in federal health policy and represent a break from the early pandemic strategy that pushed widespread vaccination under the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed. It could also affect whether insurance companies continue covering the vaccine as a standard preventive service.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, who is expected to play a key role in shaping future vaccine policy, told a group of food and drug law professionals on Thursday that scientific evidence must guide decisions going forward. “We want to see vaccines that are available for high-risk individuals, and at the same time, we want some good science. We want some good clinical data,” Makary said.
Kennedy, a long-time critic of mRNA vaccines and large-scale vaccine campaigns, has the authority to revise CDC recommendations in his role as HHS secretary.