Several Democratic governors are forming their own health alliance separate from the federal government, due mainly to policy disagreements with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, “Governors across 15 states including New York, California, and North Carolina, are forming a new public-health alliance to detect and respond to disease threats, saying federal-funding cuts and policy changes by the Trump administration are putting their citizens at risk and forcing them to find alternatives.”
“In light of the assaults on science and medicine coming out of Washington, governors have to step up and lead,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “We really have no choice.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom added in a Wednesday news release, “California is proud to help launch this new alliance because the American people deserve a public health system that puts science before politics. As extremists try to weaponize the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and spread misinformation, we’re stepping up to coordinate across states, protect communities, and ensure decisions are driven by data, facts, and the health of the American people.”
The other governors participating in the Governors Public Health Alliance include: Bob Ferguson of Washington, Josh Green of Hawaii, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Tina Kotek of Oregon, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Dan McKee or Rhode Island, Matt Meyer of Delaware, Wes Moore of Maryland, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Jared Polis of Colorado, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Josh Stein of North Carolina.
It is worth noting that some of the participants — such as Hochul, Newsom, Pritzker, and Murphy — were known for having some of the most draconian lockdowns during the COVID pandemic.
An HHS spokesman told The Wall Street Journal regarding the new alliance, “Democrat-run states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns, toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the COVID era completely eroded the American people’s trust in public health agencies.”
The spokesman added regarding the cuts made at the CDC, “HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities to streamline the agency for the American people.”
Do you approve of what RFK Jr. has done so far?
Regarding his decision to fire CDC director Dr. Susan Morarez and others at the agency over the summer, Kennedy testified last month, “We are the sickest country in the world. That’s why we have to fire people at the CDC.”
“They did not do their job,” he added. “This was their job — to keep us healthy — and I need to fire some of those people to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
RFK Jr: “We are the sickest country in the world. That’s why we have to fire people at the CDC.”
“They did not do their job. This was their job to keep us healthy, and I need to fire some of those people to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” pic.twitter.com/vwuyD2QAGS
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 4, 2025
An Axios/Ipsos American Health Index survey released in July found a majority back the core of Kennedy’s MAHA food safety efforts.
Fifty-six percent said “chemicals or unsafe additives in foods are a large or moderate risk to their health right now.”
Further, 67 percent say “they agree that they do not think foods that contain pesticides or artificial food dyes in them are safe to eat, even if they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”
On the subject of childhood vaccination — which Kennedy wants to leave more to parents’ discretion — 77 percent of poll respondents said they believe parents should follow the CDC’s recommended immunization schedules for getting their children vaccinated.
“However, fewer Americans strongly agree with this sentiment (40%) compared to the previous wave of the Axios/Ipsos American Health Index (51%), fielded February 28-March 3, 2025. This softening has taken place across the political aisle,” Ipsos noted.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten highlighted last month that there has been a 30 percentage-point drop since 1991 in support for governments mandating a vaccination schedule for children.
Fact check: RFK Jr. is actually the most popular member of Trump’s admin.
His time at HHS come as there’s been a 30 pt drop since 1991 in people wanting the gov’t to require kids to get vax’d.
Also comes at a time when most people say public health officials lied about Covid. pic.twitter.com/vbmcKVj7F4
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) September 4, 2025
In 2019, support had already fallen to 62 percent.
“Now, a bare majority say the government should, in fact, require kids to be vaccinated against infectious diseases,” Enten said. “The American public has become increasingly skeptical of the idea that the government should require kids to be vaccinated.”
He further noted at the time that Kennedy is the most popular cabinet member in the Trump administration.
“RFK Jr. is not a drag on President [Donald] Trump. He’s not the most embattled. In fact, he is the most popular official in Trump’s cabinet,” Enten said.
Democratic governors may not like Kennedy or his policies, but many Americans agree that it was time for a shakeup within the federal government’s health agencies.
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