Kansas rejects Trump-backed vaccine policy. What it means for your child
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas will keep its longstanding childhood immunization standards after a veto stood.
- Gov. Kelly vetoed a proviso that would have forced KDHE to align with the CDC overhaul.
- KDHE’s memo advised clinicians to rely on clinical judgment, traditional vaccine schedule.
For now, at least, Kansas is sticking with its longstanding immunization standards.
A push by GOP lawmakers to force the Department of Health and Environment to bring its vaccine schedule into alignment with scaled-back standards put forward by the Trump administration stalled out last week.
Health secretary and longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. updated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines in January by slashing the number of shots recommended for all children from 17 to 11.
KDHE released a memo in January announcing that it would not adopt the CDC’s new standards, but Republican lawmakers tried to force the agency’s hand by adding a proviso to the state budget that would have mandated compliance.
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, vetoed the budget item, saying the Trump administration’s recommendations “stand to create confusion among parents about which vaccines their families should receive.”
“Making abrupt changes to these longstanding vaccine schedules erodes trust in scientific evidence and the safety and efficacy of vaccines, ultimately endangering the health of Kansans and our communities,” Kelly said in her veto message.
The House overrode Kelly’s veto with the necessary two-thirds supermajority of members on Friday by a vote of 84-39. But the Senate didn’t attempt an override vote before the Legislature gaveled out for the year, meaning the veto is sustained and KDHE’s standards remain intact.
New vaccine standards thwarted
Last month, a federal judge in Boston halted the federal overhaul of immunization standards in a ruling that found RFK Jr. improperly replaced the agency’s entire vaccine advisory committee. The Trump administration has vowed to challenge that ruling.
“Vaccines remain one of the strongest tools available to protect children from preventable diseases, which is why it’s important for the state to rely on longstanding, evidence-based guidance to inform the vaccine schedule,” said Heather Braum, senior policy advisor at Kansas Action for Children, a nonprofit advocacy group.
She welcomed the news that KDHE will be allowed to preserve the immunization standards supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“With this veto being sustained, Kansas’ child vaccine schedule remains a trusted source of guidance for families to look to when making decisions about their children’s health,” Braum said.
Rep. Barb Wasinger, a Hays Republican who made the motion in February to add the vaccine language to the budget, said she’s disappointed that the Senate made no attempt to enact it into law over Kelly’s veto. She said that if she’s re-elected, she plans to try again next year.
“We’ve just overmedicated our children, so I think we need to stick with things that we know are tried and true and not just keep adding various vaccines, which I think most of the time, we all really can fight a lot of stuff ourselves,” Wasinger said.
The since-halted CDC guidelines call for only children with certain risk factors to receive six standard childhood vaccines — those for rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal disease.
Grace Hoge, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, reiterated Kelly’s support for immunization standards backed by scientific evidence.
“The governor prioritizes Kansans’ health and safety and is pleased that Kansas’ current vaccine recommendations will remain in place,” Hoge told The Star.
The KDHE memo from January emphasized that childhood immunization schedules are “intended to support, not require or mandate, evidence-informed, clinical decision-making and consistency in medical practice.” It advised Kansas clinicians to “continue to rely on their clinical training and professional judgment” in addition to the traditional vaccine schedule.
Students across Kansas are required to receive certain immunizations before they can attend public or private school in person.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 2:54 PM.
