CDC commits $735 million to Covid vaccines for children
But the purchase is raising questions about whether the government had legal authority to make the commitment.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed more than $735 million to purchase children’s Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, according to federal procurement records.
The agreement was signed on June 1, 2026, and covers updated paediatric Covid-19 vaccines through fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
The purchase, however, presents a legal dilemma.
Under federal law, the VFC program provides vaccines at no cost to eligible children only for those vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and adopted by the CDC.
Yet when the contract was signed, the updated paediatric seasonal Covid-19 vaccine had neither been discussed or reviewed by ACIP, nor adopted by the CDC.
It is therefore unclear what legal authority allowed the government to commit more than $735 million before the vaccine had completed the process required for inclusion in the VFC program.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that, when the agreement was signed, there was no functioning ACIP in place to review or recommend the updated vaccine.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not publicly explained the legal basis for the deal.
The purchase also raises broader questions about whether the administration’s actions are aligned with its stated vaccine policy.
In May 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that Covid-19 vaccines would no longer be routinely recommended for healthy children.
Hence, committing hundreds of millions of dollars to paediatric Covid-19 vaccines appears difficult to reconcile with the administration’s stated goal of reforming vaccine policy.
The financial implications are equally significant.
Uptake of Covid-19 vaccines among children has been declining for several years. Last season, about 7 million children received the vaccine, roughly half through the Vaccines for Children program.
Yet the federal government has now guaranteed Pfizer a market worth more than $735 million, regardless of how many doses are ultimately used.
If demand continues to fall — or even stays the same — taxpayers would ultimately bear the cost of unused doses while Pfizer receives the benefit of a guaranteed federal purchase.
So who authorised the purchase?
Was it Secretary Kennedy, acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, or career officials acting under existing procurement authorities?
MD Reports asked HHS whether the purchase is being made through the VFC program, who authorised it, what legal authority supports it, and whether the decision underwent legal review.
HHS did not respond by the deadline.
Until those questions are answered, it remains difficult to explain why the administration moved to remove routine Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children while simultaneously committing more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to purchasing the same vaccines.
USG paying top dollar again as well - $105/shot if for 7 million
This is extremely disturbing. There is no ethical excuse for continuing to experiment with mRNA on humans, let alone children. Also, it is not in the public interest to use taxpayer money to continue funding R&D conducted by these mega-pharmaceutical multi-billion dollar companies, such as Pfizer. I get having to move slowly on reform, but this isn't "moving carefully." It's corruption.