15 Democratic Governors Announce Health Alliance To Counter RFK Jr.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

The Democratic governors of 14 states and the territory of Guam on Oct. 15 announced a new coalition they said will provide scientific information to counter Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Governors Public Health Alliance is aiming to boost coordination between states on public health guidance, preparing for emergencies, and detecting health threats. It plans to issue recommendations to the public on vaccines and other health topics, as the governors say guidance from the federal government can no longer be trusted.  

“We can no longer rely on the information coming out of Washington, DC, but our states are coming together to unequivocally state that science still matters,” Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement.

“While Donald Trump and RFK Jr. turn their backs on public health, governors are stepping up to make sure our residents have the health care they need and deserve,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey added.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) criticized the development.

“Democrat-led states that imposed unscientific school closures, toddler mask mandates, and vaccine passports during the COVID era are the ones who destroyed public trust in public health. Now, the same governors who eroded that trust are trying to reinvent public health under the guise of ‘coordination,’” Andrew Nixon, the communications director for the department, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“The Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy are rebuilding that trust by grounding every policy in rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science—not the failed politics of the pandemic.”

Among other HHS divisions, Kennedy oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His moves, including the removal of all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel over conflicts of interest, have drawn criticism from Democrats.

The panel, now comprising experts selected by Kennedy, has advised the CDC to change recommendations for vaccines for COVID-19 and measles. The CDC recently accepted the changes.

Some outside groups and coalitions have issued competing vaccination recommendations, including a western states alliance spearheaded by California. Multiple states have updated rules to let pharmacists prescribe vaccines not recommended by the CDC.

The governors’ coalition will build on those efforts by facilitating meetings with state officials, global health leaders, and other groups, according to GovAct, a nonprofit that describes itself as a nonpartisan initiative formed by governors. Other initiatives from the organization include the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, which is aimed at “protecting and expanding reproductive freedom,” including through expanded access to abortion.

All the governors that are part of the initiatives are Democrats, although GovAct’s advisory board features several former Republican governors, including former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot.

The governors in the public health alliance represent California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington state. Guam’s governor is also part of the group.

The alliance’s advisers include Dr. Mandy Cohen, who served as director of the CDC under President Joe Biden; Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s top medical officer from 2018 to 2024; and Dr. Raj Panjabi, a White House official during the Biden administration.

“With many health threats at our doorstep, collaboration and communication between governors is essential to protect the health of families and save lives,” Cohen, who has called on Kennedy to resign, said in a statement.

“This alliance creates the framework to support the national coordination needed to safeguard communities.”