STAT+: Trump is counting on the health care industry to remake vaccines. It’s pushing back instead

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to unilaterally change the federal government's approach to vaccinating children, recommending fewer shots spread over longer periods without evidence to back the changes. Trump was particularly interested in breaking up the combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots, claiming—against all current evidence—that the combination shot could be lethal. He later said he had no evidence for that claim, and his own health officials have repeatedly recommended the combined shot.

Health industry leaders pushed back on the order this week, including those Trump may need to rely on for his agenda. Clinicians said the order to split the MMR shot would harm children, and the pushback highlights tension between the administration's vaccine approach and established public health guidance.