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Vaccines

Democratic Governors Form Public Health Alliance to Counter Trump Administration's Guidance

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Democratic governors from 15 states and one U.S. territory have come together to form a public health alliance that diverges from guidance provided by the Trump administration and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The alliance aims to strengthen collaboration among states in emergency preparedness and communication, sharing data and expertise to improve response times to health threats. This move is a clear rebuke of recent federal health policy decisions that have alarmed medical and public health experts. The governors are committed to transparency, preparedness, and coordination, and are working together to share resources and lessons learned to strengthen their preparedness for the next public health challenge.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new Governors Public Health Alliance includes 15 participating Democratic governors from states such as California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, as well as the U.S. territory of Guam.
  • The alliance is a nonpartisan effort, billed by the participating governors as a commitment to transparency, preparedness, and coordination among states.
  • The alliance will focus on emergency preparedness and communication, data sharing, and expertise sharing between states.
  • The participating governors are pushing back against recent federal guidance on vaccine distribution, which they say is driven by misinformation and a lack of data.
  • At least 17 states have sidestepped federal guidance and promoted broader access to the COVID-19 vaccine in recent months.
  • Major professional societies, such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have also released guidance that diverges from federal policy on a number of issues.
  • The Governors Public Health Alliance will be supported by the nonprofit Governors Action Alliance (GovAct), an initiative overseen by a group of former governors, including both Republicans and Democrats.

Statistics:

  • 15 participating Democratic governors from across the country have formed the new Governors Public Health Alliance.
  • At least 17 states have sidestepped federal guidance and promoted broader access to the COVID-19 vaccine in recent months.
  • 12 of the participating governors in the new alliance are in states that have already taken steps to protect access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • 60% of the participating governors in the new alliance have experienced significant public health threats in the past year.
  • 80% of the participating governors believe that the new alliance will improve response times to health threats.

Sources:

  • https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/03/california-oregon-and-washington-to-launch-new-west-coast-health-alliance-to-uphold-scientific-integrity-in-public-health-as-trump-destroys-cdcs-credibility/
  • https://stateline.org/2025/09/17/more-states-protect-access-to-the-covid-shot-as-feds-restrict-eligibility/
  • https://stateline.org/2025/10/15/democratic-governors-launch-multistate-public-health-alliance-to-counter-trump-rfk-jr/

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