Top Senate Dems press HHS about delayed COVID shots for low-income children

Top Senate Democrats are pressing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about an apparent delay in making COVID-19 shots available through a federal program for low-income children.

In a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Erica Schwartz and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded answers about why the agency waited nearly a month after they were approved to make the shots available through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program .

The VFC offers free immunizations to more than half of U.S. children, including those who are covered by Medicaid, the uninsured or underinsured, and Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

“CDC’s delay has left millions of children who rely on the VFC program waiting weeks for vaccines already available to families with commercial insurance,” the lawmakers wrote. “Concerningly, this delay follows a pattern of decisions by this Administration to undermine Americans’ faith in and access to vaccines.”

The vaccines were initially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Aug. 27, and they were available in most retail pharmacies shortly afterwards.

In a typical year, states are able to place orders for vaccines within two weeks of doses becoming commercially available. But the CDC did not open up the process for states until Sept. 23. Providers still needed to receive shipments before administering doses.

“Throughout that month, HHS offered only vague assurances that CDC is ‘finalizing decisions’ and that COVID-19 does not follow the same seasonal pattern as flu and other respiratory viruses,” the lawmakers wrote. “Neither explanation accounts for the delay. And neither HHS nor CDC has provided an explanation for what remained undecided for four weeks after FDA approval.”

The lawmakers called on Kennedy and Schwartz to confirm that the distribution will proceed without further interruption.

“HHS and CDC have a responsibility to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources and that vaccines purchased through federally funded programs are appropriate for the populations those programs serve. COVID-19 vaccines are available for states to order through the Vaccines for Children program,” HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in a statement to The Hill.

Hilliard said there are no deadlines for procuring COVID-19 vaccines because the virus is not predictable.

“Unlike influenza and other respiratory viruses with more predictable seasonal patterns, SARS-CoV-2 circulates year-round, with activity varying by region and increases occurring at different times, including during the summer and winter months,” she said.

Throughout President Trump’s second term, Kennedy has tried to fundamentally change the nation’s vaccine policy. In May 2025, Kennedy said the CDC would no longer recommend the COVID vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women.

Last month, Trump signed an executive order directing the splitting of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into separate shots without scientific justification.