Amid a sweeping overhaul of public health policy, the Trump administration is moving to sharply limit vaccine access and funding for global health programs — drawing fierce backlash from medical experts who warn that the changes could reverse decades of progress in preventing disease and saving lives.

In a media briefing on May 30, hosted by American Community Media, a panel of experts gathered to explain how the limitations on vaccinations and global health programs will nullify all the hard work we have put towards making this a safer and more inhabitable world. 

Speakers

  • Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases Program, University of California, San Francisco
  • Dr. Benjamin Neuman, Professor of Biology, Texas A&M University
  • Dr. Jirair Ratevosian, Associate Research Scientist, Yale University
  • Dr. William Schaffner, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Covid Vaccines Slashed for Pregnant Women and Children

In a surprise announcement last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that Covid-19 vaccinations will no longer be recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for healthy children, pregnant women, or adults under 65. The announcement, made on social media ahead of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) June 25–27 meeting, bypassed the usual science-driven review process — and came just days before Kennedy fired all 17 members of ACIP, replacing them with new appointees, many of whom hold vaccine-skeptic views.

Kennedy cited a lack of clinical data to support continued Covid boosters for low-risk populations. But infectious disease experts sharply disagree. “Pregnant people are relatively immunocompromised,” said t Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. “Without vaccination during pregnancy, we risk serious Covid outcomes for both mother and child — especially those under six months who rely on maternal antibodies.”

Chin-Hong warned that the new policy will confuse millions and lead to fewer people getting vaccinated — even those still eligible. “People will be unsure who qualifies and may worry about out-of-pocket costs. That confusion alone could tank fall uptake,” he said.

A Global Lifeline on the Brink

While domestic vaccine guidance stirs controversy, international aid efforts are facing collapse. Congress has failed to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has saved over 26 million lives since its launch in 2003. The program’s legal authorization expired in March, and a 90-day Trump-imposed pause on all foreign aid funding has already triggered mass disruptions.

“We estimate up to 100,000 preventable deaths from that pause alone,” said Dr. Jirair Ratevosian. “People were kicked off treatment. Clinics closed. Prevention programs were suspended. This isn’t theoretical — it’s happening now.”

If Congress fails to reauthorize PEPFAR soon, Ratevosian warned, the consequences could be catastrophic: up to 11 million new HIV infections and 3 million deaths by 2030. Already, the program’s uncertainty has mobilized activists to protest in ways not seen since the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

The Return of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

As the U.S. backs away from both domestic and global vaccination efforts, cases of preventable illnesses are rising sharply. The CDC has reported over 8,000 whooping cough cases so far this year — double last year’s total — and 30 states are experiencing measles outbreaks. The once-eradicated disease has seen over 1,000 confirmed U.S. cases in 2025 alone.

Experts attribute the spike in part to growing mistrust in vaccines. “Vaccination has picked up a political veneer,” said Dr. William Schaffner. “Diseases like polio, measles, and tetanus were once nearly eliminated. But as memory of those threats fades, so does parental urgency.”

Schaffner and others warn that if Medicaid is slashed by the $780 billion proposed in Trump’s budget, childhood vaccination disparities will widen dramatically — undoing one of the most successful and equitable public health efforts in American history.

Globally, the effects may be even worse. “The U.S. was the top funder of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance,” said Dr. Benjamin Neuman. “With that support gone and USAID shut down, vaccine trials, particularly in disease-endemic regions, will be underpowered. We won’t be able to accurately test whether vaccines work.”

He continued: “What’s driving these changes isn’t science. It’s politics. And when science is sidelined, the consequences are predictable: more illness, more death, more preventable suffering.”

 

All images provided by ACoM.