A coalition of 15 Democratic governors representing more than one-third of the United States population unveiled the Governors Public Health Alliance on October 15.

The independent state-level platform will coordinate public health policy as federal health agencies face unprecedented budget cuts, staff reductions, and controversial policy changes under the Trump administration.

The new alliance, operating through the website govsforhealth.org, creates a centralized hub for state governors and public health officials to share data, coordinate emergency responses, align vaccine recommendations, and develop health guidance independent of federal direction.

The coalition includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and the U.S. territory of Guam. Together, these jurisdictions represent roughly 120 million Americans.

“We can no longer rely on the information coming out of Washington, D.C., but our states are coming together to unequivocally state that science still matters,” said Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson. “Diseases don’t stop at state borders — and preparedness shouldn’t either. By joining forces, we will act faster and communicate better to ensure our communities stay healthy.”

The formation of the Governors Public Health Alliance follows months of turmoil at federal health agencies. Since January 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lost approximately 3,000 employees—roughly one-quarter of its workforce—through layoffs, early retirements, and resignations. Most recently, 600 CDC employees received termination notices over the October 11-13 weekend, though the process was chaotic, with over 1,300 initially notified before roughly 700 were reinstated due to what HHS called “data discrepancies and processing errors”.​

The Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget would slash CDC funding by 53 percent compared to 2024 levels, reducing the agency’s budget from $9.2 billion to $4.3 billion. Over 100 public health programs would be eliminated entirely, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke prevention programs, as well as global HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives.​

The Department of Health and Human Services overall faces a workforce reduction of 20,000 employees—nearly 25 percent of its staff—under Secretary Kennedy’s reorganization plan. The Food and Drug Administration is losing 3,500 positions, while the National Institutes of Health is cutting 1,200 employees.

Perhaps most controversially, Secretary Kennedy has fundamentally altered the process for determining vaccine recommendations. In June 2025, he dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—a panel of outside experts with backgrounds in vaccines, immunology, and pediatrics—and replaced them with 12 handpicked members, many of whom share his vaccine skepticism.​

Kennedy unilaterally changed COVID-19 vaccine guidance without the traditional expert review process, removing recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children to receive vaccinations. The new guidance restricts routine COVID-19 vaccinations to only those 65 and older or with certain health conditions, excluding healthy individuals under 65, teenagers, and many other populations.​

During a recent measles outbreak, Kennedy’s appointees spread contradictory information about the measles vaccine. His administration has also slashed funding for bird flu and mRNA vaccine research, which experts say holds promise for preventing future pandemics and treating diseases like cancer and HIV.

The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a nonpartisan coordinating hub—though all founding members are Democrats—to support states in protecting public health through several mechanisms:​

Data Sharing and Communication: Facilitating real-time information exchange about health threat detection, disease outbreak monitoring, and surveillance activities.​

Emergency Preparedness and Response: Coordinating state responses to public health crises, including deployment of experts and resources across state lines.​

Public Health Guidance and Policy: Developing science-based recommendations on vaccines, treatment protocols, and health policies when federal guidance is absent, inconsistent, or contradicted by medical consensus.​

Global Health Coordination: Serving as a unified, cross-state liaison with the global health community, international health organizations, and foreign governments.​

Resource Deployment: Sharing best practices, policy toolkits, and expert briefings to help governors implement effective public health protections.​

Participating states have already begun coordinating executive actions governors can take to strengthen public health protections, including standing orders or directives to preserve access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The alliance is advised by three prominent public health experts with government experience:​

Dr. Mandy Cohen, who served as CDC Director from 2023 to 2025. Cohen previously led North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services through the COVID-19 pandemic and served as chief operating officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services during the Obama administration.​

Dr. Anne Zink, who served as Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer from 2018 to 2024, leading the state’s COVID-19 response. Despite Alaska having a Republican governor, Zink gained bipartisan respect for her transparent, science-based communication during the pandemic. She now serves as a Senior Fellow at Yale School of Public Health.​

Dr. Raj Panjabi, former White House Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense under President Biden from 2021 to 2023. Panjabi played a pivotal role in the largest vaccination campaign in history against COVID-19 and led execution of the 2022 National Biodefense Strategy, coordinating over $12 billion in annual investment across 16 federal agencies. Named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, he co-founded Last Mile Health, a global organization transforming community health systems.​

Ambassador Nina Hachigian, former U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, also advises the alliance on international coordination. Hachigian previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and as Los Angeles’s first Deputy Mayor for International Affairs.