“Reckless and unscientific!” Gov. Newsom explodes at Trump, California sues to block dangerous new vaccine changes that endanger kids

California – California is once again heading to court over vaccine policy, this time co-leading a coalition of 15 states challenging what officials describe as an unlawful and dangerous shift in federal guidance on childhood immunizations.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California is joining other states in suing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the CDC’s director over a January decision that stripped seven childhood vaccines of their universally recommended status. State leaders argue the move bypassed required federal procedures and was made without solid scientific evidence, putting children at heightened risk of preventable diseases.

In a statement, Newsom said the administration’s actions ignore decades of medical research and threaten to reverse hard-won public health gains.

“California is going back to court because the Trump administration is violating federal law and pushing a reckless, unscientific childhood vaccine schedule that puts kids’ lives at risk. These changes ignore decades of medical evidence and will lead to outbreaks of diseases we’ve already beaten. We will not stand by while politics overrides science and endangers our children. Just as we’ve done before, we’re standing up — alongside 14 other states — to defend the law, protect public health, and keep our kids safe,” Newsom said.

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Attorney General Rob Bonta echoed that message, calling the federal changes irresponsible and unlawful. He argued that weakening confidence in vaccines could lower immunization rates, increase infectious disease, and drive up costs for states.

“The Trump Administration’s attacks on science are irresponsible and dangerous. Undermining confidence in vaccines will lead to lower vaccination rates and more infectious disease. It will also drive up costs for states, including increased Medicaid spending and new expenses to combat misinformation and revise public health guidance. Public health decisions must remain grounded in truth and facts. That’s why, for the 59th time, I’m taking the Trump Administration to court. My fellow attorneys general and I cannot sit on the sidelines while lives are put at risk and our laws are broken,” AG Bonta said.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is at the heart of the complaint. This group is in charge of making recommendations about vaccine policy across the country. The committee must be fair and make decisions based on facts, as required by federal law.

The lawsuit says that all 17 voting members of ACIP were removed last summer, even though they had been promised that this would not happen during confirmation hearings. They were then replaced by people who the states say are anti-vaccine activists. The coalition says that the new vaccine schedule was pushed through without enough discussion or involvement from the public.

The lawsuit comes at a time when the US is seeing the most measles infections, outbreaks, hospitalizations, and fatalities in more than 30 years, mostly in areas where not enough people get vaccinated.

California has done more in the past year to strengthen health policy based on evidence. The state joined the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network, launched the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange to update health infrastructure, and helped start the Governors Public Health Alliance.

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California has also worked with reputable medical groups to make sure that its vaccine advice is in line with those of the West Coast Health Alliance, which includes Oregon, Hawaii, and Washington. In September, Newsom signed AB 144, which lets the state base its vaccine recommendations on independent medical experts instead of the CDC’s advisory council, which has become more political.

California officials claim that with the lawsuit, they want to bring back established procedures and make sure that vaccine policy is based on science rather than politics.