Beau of The Fifth Column

Since Trump has taken office, the U.S.

has gone from recommending 17 vaccines to recommending 11.

The administration said it's trying to bring the U.S.

in line with other peer nations.

There was a time when high vaccine rates were viewed as a good thing.

In fact, the U.S.

has kind of always been near the head of the pack on this subject.

The U.S.

saw the power of vaccination since, well, before the U.S.

even existed.

George Washington ordered the mandatory inoculation of Continental Army troops against smallpox in February of 1777.

Trump's apparent desire to turn this into a midterm issue probably stems from him losing the conspiracy base as the establishment billionaire reveals himself to be an establishment billionaire.

The pushback from medical experts was quick.

This, coming at a time when the U.S.

is almost certain to lose its measles eradication status due to having thousands of confirmed cases this year, is probably not helping the administration's ability to sell this.

Something about having 100 hospitalizations of children under the age of five has left the medical community on edge.

The president of the Infectious Disease Society of America said, quote, upending longstanding vaccine recommendations without transparent public review and engagement with external experts will undermine confidence in vaccines with the likely outcome of decreasing vaccination rates and increasing disease.

Sandra Adamson Fryhofer of the American Medical Association said, quote, changes of this magnitude require careful review, expert and public input, and clear scientific justification.

That level of rigor and transparency was not part of this decision.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon was even more blunt and said, quote, Robert Kennedy, with Trump's blessing, is leading the country down a tragic path where more children die from preventable diseases.