29 states and D.C. are currently rejecting federal vaccine guidelines

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia are now rejecting at least some federal vaccine guidance as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to downplay the importance of vaccinating children under U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to research by KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization based in California and Washington.

The tally as of March 10 reflects states that have announced they will go their own way on childhood vaccines since last May, when Kennedy began making changes to the vaccination schedule. These changes ended a reduction in recommended routine vaccinations for children, from 13 to 7, as of January.

The novel state-by-state recommendations reflect a partisan divide, as all states with Democratic governors have rejected federal childhood vaccine guidelines, while many Republican states have not.

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In February, Virginia announced it would not follow CDC guidelines, a change following the inauguration of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who took over from a Republican predecessor. Spanberger campaigned on the issue, saying she would not support phasing out childhood vaccinations.

In Florida, the state Senate passed a bill on March 9 making it easier for parents not to vaccinate their children, although House leaders said they would not consider similar bill despite support from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In Louisiana this is the state adopted the policy for not promoting vaccines and not running clinics. Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor who reluctantly agreed to Kennedy’s confirmation despite opposing his views on vaccines, is fight the original fight.

In February, fifteen Democratic-led states sued Kennedy in federal court, seeking to overturn the novel vaccine guidelines. A preliminary hearing will be held on May 29.

Some states have formed formal alliances to share health information. The Northeast Public Health Collaborative, made up of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and New York, said in January that it would continue to follow guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics rather than the federal government.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released its 2026 vaccination schedule, which maintains the pre-HHS overhaul schedule. Twelve medical professional organizations approved Academy schedule.

Governors from 14 states have formed another alliance to share public health information, including vaccines. The CDC’s updated guidelines “create confusion and introduce unnecessary barriers for families who want to protect their children from serious illnesses,” the Governors Public Health Alliance said in a January report press release. All of the governors are Democrats, although the group claims to be nonpartisan.

Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at: thenderson@stateline.org.