The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has ignited a new wave of debate in the ongoing saga over childhood vaccinations, urging that children as young as six months and up to 23 months receive the Covid-19 vaccine. This bold recommendation, released on August 19, 2025, marks a clear divergence from the current federal guidance under the Trump administration’s health agencies and the restructured Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel, now overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The AAP’s updated childhood immunization schedule goes beyond just Covid-19. It outlines recommendations for vaccines against Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for all individuals under 18. According to the AAP, this approach is rooted in their longstanding commitment to pediatric health, a tradition dating back to the 1930s. But this year, the context is different: the organization is making its case in what it calls an “environment of misinformation.”
“The academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s. That has not changed,” Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the AAP, told ABC News. “But what has changed is that this year, we’re doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.”
This latest push from the AAP is more than just a matter of medical opinion—it’s a direct response to recent federal policy shifts. In late May 2025, Secretary Kennedy halted CDC recommendations for healthy children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Previously, the CDC had advised vaccination for everyone six months and older with the latest available dose. Now, the CDC’s guidance is far less definitive, suggesting that Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six months through 17 years should be determined through “shared clinical decision-making.” In other words, parents and doctors must weigh the risks and benefits together, rather than following a blanket recommendation.
The AAP, however, is not pulling any punches. Its updated guidelines recommend Covid-19 vaccination for all children under 18 who are at higher risk of serious illness, those residing in long-term care or congregate living facilities, children who have not previously been vaccinated, and those who share a household with someone at elevated risk. The group is particularly concerned about infants and toddlers between six and 23 months, whom they identify as facing the greatest risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19. The AAP maintains that vaccination offers crucial protection against serious illness for this vulnerable group.
But the federal government is not taking the AAP’s criticism lightly. The CDC’s advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) was overhauled earlier this year, with several new members accused by the AAP of having a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. The AAP’s decision to break from ACIP’s current recommendations is, in their words, a necessary step “because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.”
Yet, as insurers often base coverage decisions on CDC ACIP guidelines, the stakes are high. If ACIP declines to endorse a vaccine, families may find themselves paying out of pocket, and the shot may not be available through federally funded programs like Vaccines for Children. This could leave many families, especially those with limited means, in a difficult position—caught between conflicting expert advice and the realities of insurance coverage.
The federal response has been swift and pointed. Andrew Nixon, communications director for the US Department of Health & Human Services, issued a statement on August 19, 2025, pushing back hard against the AAP. “The American people deserve confidence that medical recommendations are based solely on science and public health. We call on the AAP to strengthen conflict-of-interest safeguards and keep its publications free from financial influence, ensuring every recommendation reflects only the best interests of America’s children. Instead, the AAP is undermining national immunization policymaking with baseless political attacks.”
Nixon’s statement didn’t stop there. He continued, “Secretary Kennedy has stood firm in his commitment to science, transparency, and restoring public trust. By bypassing the CDC’s advisory process and freelancing its own recommendations, while smearing those who demand accountability, the AAP is putting commercial interests ahead of public health and politics above America’s children.”
Secretary Kennedy himself took to social media on August 19, posting a screenshot from the AAP’s website that listed corporate donors to the Friends of Children Fund, an AAP program that directs donations to pediatric health projects. Kennedy accused the group of failing to sufficiently disclose conflicts of interest. “AAP is angry that CDC has eliminated corporate influence in decisions over vaccine recommendations and returned CDC to gold-standard science and evidence-based medicine laser-focused on children’s health,” Kennedy wrote. He went further, calling the AAP’s vaccine recommendation list “corporate-friendly” and alleging, “AAP should follow the lead of HHS and disclose conflicts of interest, including its corporate entanglements and those of its journal–Pediatrics–so that Americans may ask whether the AAP’s recommendations reflect public health interest, or are, perhaps, just a pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions of AAP’s Big Pharma benefactors.”
On the flu vaccine front, Kennedy’s restructured vaccine panel has maintained support for annual flu shots but with a significant caveat: they’ve voted to limit them to single-dose formulations without the preservative thimerosal. The AAP, however, stands by its position that thimerosal poses no risk and says physicians should administer any approved flu vaccine suitable for the patient. This is yet another flashpoint in the broader battle over vaccine safety and public trust.
According to reporting from ABC News and other major outlets, the AAP’s recommendations are part of a broader effort by medical organizations to bypass Secretary Kennedy and his criticism of broadly administering coronavirus vaccines. The tension between the AAP and the federal government isn’t just about science—it’s also about who gets to set the agenda for children’s health in America.
All of this comes at a time when the issue of vaccine misinformation looms larger than ever. The AAP’s Dr. Kressly emphasized that “providing clear and confident guidance” is more important than ever, given the confusion many American families face. The organization’s message is clear: they believe their recommendations are rooted in science and the best interests of children, regardless of the political winds in Washington.
As the dust settles, families, doctors, and policymakers are left to navigate a landscape where expert advice is anything but unanimous. The stakes are high, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable Americans. For now, the AAP stands firm in its call to vaccinate young children against Covid-19, even as the debate over who should lead the nation’s immunization policy rages on.