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Maryland this week joined a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 (CDC) decision to overhaul the national childhood immunization schedule.
, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for Northern Calfornia, is led by Democratic attorneys general from Arizona and California. They鈥檙e joined by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) and Democratic attorneys general from 11 other states, as well as by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).
It names the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and their respective leaders, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CDC director Jay Bhattacharya.
Last year, Kennedy, a longtime and outspoken vaccine skeptic, removed and replaced all 17 members of the CDC鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Then in January, the CDC issued a new聽聽that rescinded the universal recommendations for vaccination against hepatitis A, influenza, meningococcal disease, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rotavirus. That move followed the CDC dropping universal recommendations for childhood COVID-19 and hepatitis B vaccinations.
Vaccines the CDC previously recommended for all children are now recommended for children with underlying conditions, or as options parents can discuss with doctors.
The lawsuit alleges the CDC鈥檚 vaccine panel was unlawfully replaced, and that the new recommendations were illegal, unscientific, and 鈥減osed an immediate threat to public health.鈥�
The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations聽聽seeking to block the new recommendations last month.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called the states鈥� filing 鈥渁 publicity stunt dressed up as a lawsuit.鈥�
鈥淏y law, the health secretary has clear authority to make determinations on the CDC immunization schedule and the composition of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,鈥� the spokesperson said. 鈥淭he CDC immunization schedule reforms reflect common-sense public health policy shared by peer, developed countries.鈥�
Most of the 20 identified peer countries recommend fewer than the聽聽previously advocated for by the CDC. Under the new protocols, the U.S. now recommends fewer vaccines than all but Denmark,聽.
But Brown said Monday that the Trump administration鈥檚 鈥渞eckless changes to the child vaccine schedule will confuse parents about which shots their children need to stay safe and healthy.鈥�
鈥淎s fewer children get vaccinated, preventable and deadly diseases will spread throughout our daycares and schools, sickening families and threatening children鈥檚 wellbeing,鈥� Brown said in a聽. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking the administration to court because our kids鈥� lives are too important to leave to junk science and conspiracy theories.鈥�
While it鈥檚 common for Democratic attorneys general to be more litigious against Republican presidential administrations 鈥� and vice versa 鈥� Brown has been particularly active. His office had a hand in 鈥斅爈eading, co-leading or joining 鈥� more than 100 legal actions in the year after President Donald Trump took office, including 51 lawsuits and briefs filed in support of others鈥� suits.
鈥淚 told Marylanders that I believe that chaos was coming from Washington, and it was putting Marylanders and Americans at risk. Well, chaos came,鈥� Brown said in聽.
Shapiro, too, has been active in his role as governor, signing on to multiple lawsuits led by Democratic attorneys general. Prior to his election as governor, he served as Pennsylvania鈥檚 Attorney General.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican, has largely remained quiet on the matters. When asked about the CDC lawsuit by the Capital-Star, a spokesperson for Sunday鈥檚 office said, 鈥淕enerally speaking, the governor鈥檚 office has the ability to represent their executive agencies under the Commonwealth Attorneys Act.鈥�
