On October 15, 2025, a new coalition of Democratic governors unveiled the Governors Public Health Alliance, signaling a dramatic escalation in the ongoing tug-of-war over public health leadership in the United States. The alliance, which now stands as the largest state-run alternative public health authority, brings together governors from 15 states and the territory of Guam—collectively representing a striking 129 million Americans. While the group bills itself as a "nonpartisan coordinating hub," its founding members are, at least for now, all Democrats. Their stated mission: to coordinate data sharing, emergency preparedness, disease surveillance, and public health policy in the face of what they describe as federal abdication under President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"At a time when the federal government is telling the states, 'you're on your own,' governors are banding together," Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared in a statement, as reported by NPR and the Associated Press. This message of unity comes as the federal government, according to the alliance's members, steps back from its traditional public health responsibilities, leaving states scrambling to protect their residents against both old and emerging health threats.
The alliance’s birth is not without context—or controversy. It arrives amid a government shutdown now stretching into its third week, which has already resulted in the firing of nearly 1,000 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees, including about 600 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As Politico notes, this turmoil follows the ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez, Ph.D., over her resistance to controversial changes in childhood vaccine guidance and other widely criticized policy reversals.
For the coalition’s leaders, these developments are symptomatic of a broader crisis. New York Governor Kathy Hochul didn’t mince words: "From undermining vaccine access and abortion rights to slashing billions in Medicaid funding from those in need, the federal government is wreaking havoc on public health and the institutions we rely on," she said. "The Governors Public Health Alliance will allow our states to share resources, coordinate with global partners, and deploy the tools and information needed to meet public health threats and protect the American people."
Other governors echoed her frustration. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was especially pointed in his critique, stating, "While Donald Trump and RFK Jr. turn the [CDC] into a misinformation machine and rip healthcare away from working families, I am proud to join my fellow Governors in stepping up to protect our residents. When the federal government abandons science for conspiracy theories, slashes Medicaid and undermines vaccine integrity, states must stand united to defend the facts."
But the alliance’s formation has not gone unchallenged. Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shot back in a statement shared with multiple outlets: "Democratic governors who imposed school closures and mask mandates, including for toddlers at the height of the pandemic, are the ones who destroyed public trust in public health. 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."
This war of words highlights just how partisan the public health landscape has become since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governors Public Health Alliance is the latest in a series of state-level collaborations: it follows the three-state West Coast Health Alliance and the 10-state Northeast Public Health Collaborative, both of which were established to coordinate pandemic responses and maintain unified health policies when federal guidance was, in their view, lacking or inconsistent.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, himself a potential 2028 presidential contender, described the new alliance’s approach: "As extremists try to weaponize the CDC 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 alliance’s practical goals are expansive. According to announcements from participating governors and reporting by The Associated Press, the coalition will share best practices and expertise, coordinate on disease surveillance, co-draft public health guidelines, and even pool resources to purchase supplies like vaccines. The group also pledges to keep an open dialogue with the global health community and elevate national considerations for vaccine procurement and policy solutions—a nod to lessons learned during the pandemic, when states sometimes found themselves bidding against one another for critical supplies.
Members of the alliance include a notable roster of blue-state leaders: Bob Ferguson (Washington), Josh Green (Hawaii), Maura Healey (Massachusetts), Kathy Hochul (New York), Tina Kotek (Oregon), Ned Lamont (Connecticut), Lou Leon Guerrero (Guam), Dan McKee (Rhode Island), Matt Meyer (Delaware), Wes Moore (Maryland), Phil Murphy (New Jersey), Jared Polis (Colorado), JB Pritzker (Illinois), and Josh Stein (North Carolina). Several are widely seen as potential presidential hopefuls, which could give the alliance outsized influence in shaping national policy debates in the years ahead.
Yet for all its ambition, the alliance’s organizers are quick to emphasize that their work is meant to complement—not replace—existing state efforts or the coordination already provided by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. As Dr. Mandy Cohen, former CDC director under President Joe Biden and now a bipartisan advisor to the alliance, put it: "The CDC did provide an important backstop for expertise and support. And I think now with some of that gone, it’s important for states to make sure that they are sharing best practices and that they are coordinating, because the problems have not gone away. The health threats have not gone away."
The Governors Public Health Alliance is supported by GovAct, a nonprofit, nonpartisan donor-funded initiative that also works on projects related to protecting democracy and reproductive freedom—two other issues that have become political flashpoints in recent years.
Notably, the alliance’s formation also comes as a direct response to the current administration’s approach to vaccines. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers have declined to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations, instead leaving the choice to individuals. This stance has further fueled the sense among Democratic governors that states must fill the leadership vacuum in public health—a vacuum they argue has grown wider with each federal retreat from science-based policy.
For many Americans, the emergence of the Governors Public Health Alliance may feel like déjà vu. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Democratic governors formed regional pacts to coordinate lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine rollouts, often in the absence of cohesive federal direction. Those efforts, while controversial, did set a precedent for state-led action—one that the new alliance builds upon as it seeks to address not just pandemic threats, but a broad array of public health challenges, from opioid addiction to climate-driven disease risks.
As the alliance gets underway, its leaders are betting that collaboration, transparency, and a renewed commitment to science will help restore public confidence and keep Americans safer—no matter the political storms swirling in Washington.
