FILE-President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attend an event introducing a new Make America Healthy Again Commission report in the East Room of the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo by …
President Donald Trump is considering an executive order on vaccines and autism that might be released as early as next week.
Trump’s effort is driven by his interest in more action on autism, Reuters reported, citing a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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The news outlet added that its source didn’t offer details of the executive order, which was also reported by Bloomberg News.
Reuters reported that the Trump administration has pursued recent studies into vaccines and autism despite scientific research over the past 20 years showing there is no credible correlation.
Trump administration statement on vaccines
What they're saying:
In a statement from White House spokesperson Kush Desai obtained by Reuters, he said "President Trump has been clear: America must have the best childhood vaccine schedule in the world. The Administration remains steadfastly committed to delivering on this presidential priority with Gold Standard Science for the countless parents whose questions and concerns about vaccinations have been ignored or mocked."
According to Reuters, President Donald Trump's crusade for an executive order comes amid his own political advisers encouraging Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to stay away from vaccine-related issues until after November's midterm elections, out of concern it may affect Republicans.
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However, Trump has continued to press Kennedy, requesting updates on new efforts on vaccines and whether Kennedy thinks he will show evidence of a connection with autism.
In 2025, Trump connected autism to childhood vaccines and to the use of Tylenol during pregnancy, bringing accusations unsupported by scientific research and evidence.
Kennedy, who has been a longtime vaccine critic and pushed a discredited theory that routine childhood shots cause autism said in September 2025 that Health and Human Services would conduct a "massive research and testing" effort to determine the cause of autism.
And in March 2026, a federal judge blocked key parts of Kennedy's efforts to rewrite the nation’s vaccine policy and revamp a national advisory panel on immunizations, Reuters reported.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.