The Democratic governors of Oregon, Washington, and California are forming a new public health partnership aimed at ensuring vaccine access.
This partnership, called the Western Health Alliance, will develop its vaccination guidelines “with input from recognized national medical organizations,” according to a press release issued Wednesday by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
FILE – This photo combination shows, from left, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Jan. 31, 2024, in Salem, Ore., Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, Jan. 27, 2025, in Seattle and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Aug. 21, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif.
The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington said in a joint statement: “The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly prioritizes ideology over science, an ideology that will lead to serious health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow our residents to be put at risk.”
Their announcement comes after a week of chaos at the CDC.
Last week, the White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarriz, a Trump appointee, after she refused to endorse vaccine policies advocated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Several senior CDC scientists also resigned in protest. On Monday, nine former CDC directors, who served under Republican and Democratic presidents, condemned Kennedy’s leadership of the CDC in an op-ed published in The New York Times.
Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, responded with his own op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, claiming he was “restoring public trust in the CDC” and vaccine science in general by eliminating bias and conflicts of interest.
“Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have undoubtedly saved millions of lives,” said Dr. Sigal Hathi, chair of the Oregon Health Authority, in the statement. “But when recommendations for their use become inconsistent or politicized, they undermine public trust at the very time we need it most.”
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new round of COVID-19 vaccines, but limited their availability to those most at risk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet this month to discuss recommendations for who should receive the vaccine and provide necessary guidance to the nation’s pharmacists. Earlier this summer, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the advisory committee and replaced them with members who have criticized vaccines and spread misinformation about them.
On Monday, President Donald Trump suggested on his “Social Truth” social media page that pharmaceutical companies, like Pfizer, should prove to the public the effectiveness of their COVID-19 vaccines, given the controversy surrounding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In a press release last week, Pfizer included a link to a May presentation on the effectiveness of its vaccine.
This coalition isn’t the first time West Coast states have collaborated on public health. In 2020, the three states formed the Western States Pact to review federal vaccination recommendations and coordinate pandemic-related restrictions. Oregon, Washington, and California were among the last states to lift mask mandates.
These states have a history of responding to changes in national health policy. As legal cases threatening abortion drugs wound their way through the courts, all states built up their own stockpiles of mifepristone and misoprostol.
Tensions between the states and the Trump administration have also escalated elsewhere over the past month. The president has repeatedly expressed his desire to see stronger immigration enforcement measures in so-called sanctuary states like Oregon and Washington, following a significant presence in California. Newsom has also mocked President Trump on social media in recent days.
The three Democratic governors offered few details Wednesday about how they hope the Western Health Alliance will influence vaccine availability in their states.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for approving new vaccines, and state legislatures generally determine which vaccines are required for school enrollment.
One option is to enter into joint vaccine purchasing agreements, as more than 50 million people live in the three states combined.