by Staff Report CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — Attorney General William Tong has joined 15 states in a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration’s overhaul of the nation’s childhood immunization schedule. The complaint names Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Jay Bhattacharya, and the CDC and HHS as defendants.
The lawsuit challenges a January 5, 2026 CDC “Decision Memo” that stripped seven childhood vaccines — those protecting against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — of their universally recommended status. The complaint also challenges what Tong called the unlawful replacement of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the expert federal panel that has guided U.S. vaccine policy for decades.
“Vaccines save lives. Trump and RFK Jr. are risking children’s lives,” Tong said. “RFK Jr. is not a doctor. He is not a scientist. His friends are not any more knowledgeable or qualified. We are suing today to protect lives, and to make sure that our nation’s powerful public health guidance follows the law and reflects the facts.”
Gov. Ned Lamont said vaccines have limited the spread of contagious disease for generations. He said there was no legitimate medical reason the change the guidelines.
“Modifying this national guidance will just create more confusion and anxiety among parents,” he said. “It will also place more burdens on doctors and medical professionals, and at worst it will endanger the health of children. Medical decisions need to be determined by science, not conspiracy theories. Here in Connecticut, we will continue to support our medical community and support their recommendations when it comes to protecting public health.”
Manisha Juthani, public health commissioner, said public health decisions should be grounded in credible science, not ideology.
“Connecticut’s childhood immunization schedule has not changed, and all vaccines remain available,” she said. “Families should know that the evidence supporting the vaccines long recommended to protect children is sound and supported by multiple medical societies. We will continue to rely on rigorous scientific evidence and trusted medical expertise to guide our policies and protect the health of our residents.”
Among children born in the U.S. between 1994 and 2023, researchers have estimated that routine childhood vaccinations prevented approximately 508 million cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and over 1.1 million deaths, generating $2.7 trillion in societal savings, according to state officials.
In June 2025, Kennedy abruptly fired all 17 ACIP voting members and replaced them with individuals who lack the scientific qualifications required by ACIP’s own charter and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Tong said. At least nine of the 13 current ACIP members lack the expertise or professional qualifications required for the role, and a majority have publicly expressed views aligned with Kennedy’s well-documented opposition to vaccines, Tong said.
In December 2025, the reconstituted ACIP reversed nearly 30 years of CDC policy by eliminating the recommendation for a universal hepatitis B birth dose — a vaccine that is up to 90 percent effective in preventing perinatal infection when administered within 24 hours of birth.
On January 5, 2026, then-Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill — who has no medical or scientific background — signed off on a “Decision Memo” that demoted seven vaccines from the universally recommended childhood vaccination schedule to a lesser status that invites confusion and uncertainty.
The Decision Memo relied primarily on superficial comparisons to purported “peer countries” — particularly Denmark — while ignoring the fundamental differences between those nations and the United States, as well as the overwhelming evidence supporting the effectiveness of the CDC’s pre-Kennedy childhood immunization schedule.
Additionally, in contrast to countries like Denmark with universal healthcare, more than 100 million Americans lack usual access to primary care, meaning the instruction to “discuss with your clinician” operates as a barrier, not neutral guidance, Tong said.
The plaintiff states are asking the court to declare the Kennedy Schedule and the Kennedy ACIP appointments unlawful, and to enjoin, vacate, and set aside both the new immunization schedule and the unlawful appointments.