Trump administration considers order on autism and vaccines

The Trump administration is thinking about issuing an executive order on vaccines and autism, possibly as soon as next week. People who know about these discussions say President Donald Trump wants to see more action on the topic. The order could include new research studies looking both forward and backward in time. Nothing is final yet, and the timing could still change.

Scientists have studied vaccines and autism for decades. Their research has shown no link between vaccines and autism. In fact, no single cause of autism has ever been found. The scientific community is strongly united on this point.

White House spokesman Kush Desai spoke about the president's goals. He said, 'America must have the best childhood vaccine schedule in the world.' He also said the administration wants to use 'Gold Standard Science' to address the concerns of parents who feel their questions have been ignored. The White House says many parents have not gotten straight answers about vaccines.

President Trump has tried before to change the vaccine schedule for children. In May, he signed an executive order to align the U.S. vaccine schedule with countries that recommend fewer shots. However, a court blocked other efforts to change official vaccine guidelines. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who once led an anti-vaccine group, was also part of those blocked efforts.

The topic of vaccines and autism is politically sensitive, especially with elections coming up. An internal memo from earlier in 2026 told health officials to focus on less controversial subjects, like food guidelines and healthcare costs. Polls showed that most people in key election districts support routine childhood vaccines. Still, officials are now revisiting this issue.

Last week, President Trump publicly pushed Kennedy to look into what causes autism. At a cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump asked Kennedy how his agency was doing on autism research. Kennedy replied, 'We will have an answer for you.' It is not yet clear what steps the administration will take next.