Trump Admin Appeals Judge Block on Kennedy Vaccine Cuts

The Trump administration filed an appeal on Wednesday against a federal judge's order blocking Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to reduce the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccines in the United States.

The appeal, lodged by the Department of Justice in Boston federal court, responds to U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's March 16 ruling. That decision halted Kennedy's January move to end broad recommendations for vaccinations against influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, certain forms of meningococcal disease and respiratory syncytial virus for all children. The order also originally addressed the scaling back of COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for most children and pregnant women. Murphy further blocked a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, which advises on vaccine recommendations that influence medical practices and insurance coverage.

Murphy ruled that Kennedy's reconstitution of the ACIP likely violated federal law. Last year, Kennedy removed the panel's entire 17-member roster of experts and appointed a new group, including 13 members whom...