15 Democratic Governors Announce Health Alliance To Counter RFK Jr.

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.