Washington D.C. — A new Public Policy Polling national survey finds voters strongly oppose Donald Trump’s executive order to water down federal vaccine recommendations for children. Trump is demanding that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine be broken up into separate shots for children over several costly doctor visits, while opening the door for states to loosen school immunization requirements and leaving kids more vulnerable to harmful disease — decisions that put his Republican allies in Congress like Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-2) and Nick LaLota (R-NY-1) in a far less favorable light with voters.
- 76% of voters support routine childhood vaccinations, 56% strongly
- 58% of voters disapprove of Trump’s executive order; 49% strongly disapprove vs. 25% strongly approve — 2-to-1 against.
- 71% say doctors and scientists — not Trump — should make decisions about childhood vaccines; only 14% say Trump. That’s 5-to-1.
- Trump said that kids were getting so much vaccination that it could fill a soda bottle, but voters don’t believe it. 43% say they think he’s lying and 27% think he’s exaggerating.
- When presented with 4 different factual proof points about Trump’s executive order, in all cases 50%–54% say it makes them view Republicans less favorably (44%–48% “much less”). Voters were most alarmed by the fact Trump’s children’s vaccine recommendations may mean parents pay significantly more, viewing Republicans 54% less favorable.
Brad Woodhouse, President, Save My Care: “Most voters see through Donald Trump’s lies when he smears the proven track record of safety and efficacy of the childhood vaccine schedule. The problem is enough parents are scared off by Trump’s disproven anti-vax rhetoric from the White House bully pulpit that it becomes a deadly situation for many kids. Discouraging the measles vaccine in the middle of a record measles outbreak may be the most dangerous acts of sabotage against public health from a president in history. And for Republicans like Reps. Lawler, Garbarino and LaLota to do nothing as Trump willfully puts kids in harm’s way, it’s a dereliction of duty to the families they represent and political malpractice. Pushing parents to needlessly schedule multiple extra doctor visits leads to missed shots, longer vulnerability periods, worse outbreaks, more hassle, and even higher medical bills. The anti-vaxxer-in-chief is actively making preventable disease great again, and Reps. Lawler, Garbarino and LaLota’s silence makes them accomplices and every bit as dangerous.”
BACKGROUND: Donald Trump’s science-denying executive order will sow more parental confusion and vaccine hesitancy amid the worst measles outbreak in 35 years and as kindergartners’ exemptions from school vaccine requirements have reached another record high. If states follow that order, preventable disease will surge, and more children will be hospitalized or worse. While Trump insists on adding more costs and burden on parents by splicing up the MRR shots — based on nothing but completely disproven risks of autism –Trump’s own CDC website states the facts: “No published scientific evidence shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots.”
That is why over 210 leading medical, health and patient advocacy groups have condemned Trump’s anti-vax executive order and at least 88 Democratic lawmakers in Congress are demanding its immediate rescission.
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