What Trump might do on vaccines, pandemics, global health, and more
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
by Matt Field
How the next Trump presidency could impact immunizations
The first Trump administration invested billions of dollars in vaccine research and development to combat COVID-19, leading to what was arguably the most successful vaccine development program in history. This investment in American innovation and biotechnology, including mRNA vaccines, saved countless lives and has the potential to revolutionize the prevention and treatment of serious diseases. However, Trump also weakened public trust in science and threatened health agencies with funding cuts that could have compromised vaccine programs and outbreak monitoring—cuts that Congress had to override repeatedly.
Now, a second Trump administration could jeopardize our ability to defend our families from disease, putting human lives and local economies at serious risk. Talk of repealing laws like the Affordable Care Act could strip vaccine access for millions, especially vulnerable groups like seniors who rely on Medicare for free vaccines. In addition, the conservative presidential transition project known as Project 2025 advocates for the dismantling of vaccine requirements and removing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s role in setting the national vaccine schedule, putting children at risk by allowing preventable diseases to resurface in schools. Project 2025 also calls for ending the use of long-established cell lines in vaccine development—a move based on outdated misconceptions about science. Major religious groups support vaccines, and these cell lines have contributed to lifesaving medical advancements.
Of course, there is also the question of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s potential role in the Trump administration. Kennedy runs one of the nation’s largest anti-vaccine organizations and has promoted long debunked conspiracy theories about childhood immunizations that are again gaining a foothold in public discourse. Trump has signaled support for Kennedy’s spurious claims and Kennedy claimed that Trump would give him control over health agencies, including the CDC.
Overall, we could see a dismantling and restructuring of federal health agencies, which would fundamentally alter our national health policies and disrupt—or even reverse—the progress we have made in preventing many vaccine-preventable diseases. Now is the time for the pro-vaccine majority to make their support for immunizations heard. SAFE Communities Coalition and our Families for Vaccines state chapters will continue to advocate for immunizations policies based on science and evidence. The same policies that helped the United States to eliminate many vaccine preventable diseases—diseases we don’t want to see our children needlessly suffer from.
–Jennifer Herricks and Crystal Rommen. Herricks is the advocacy director for the SAFE Communities Coalition and founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, where Rommen is a board member.