Vocal (read: exploring 2028 Presidential primary opportunities) Democratic governors are using state authorities, regulations, and laws to defy the HHS vaccine policies created under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. During the COVID era panic, these same governors fired, fined, and imprisoned people who challenged previous federal vaccine policies. Insurrection is relative:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/10/dems-antimaha-00552573
RFK Jr.'s vaccine crackdown sparks a rebellion among blue-state governors
JB Pritzker, Kathy Hochul and Maura Healey are launching vaccine counteroffensives in their states ahead of their reelections.By Lisa Kashinsky and Brakkton Booker | September 10, 2025
JB Pritzker is exploring ways to stockpile Covid shots in Illinois. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order protecting vaccine access in New York. Maura Healey is requiring insurers in Massachusetts cover the costs of injections recommended by her health department, regardless of federal guidelines.
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health department curtails access to the Covid-19 vaccine and mulls restricting the availability of others, Democratic governors are forming a bulwark against him as they take on an issue that has strong public support ahead of the pivotal 2026 midterms.
On the West Coast, California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii have created a coalition to issue immunization guidance. And public health officials across the northeast, led by those in Massachusetts, have been meeting for months to strategize standing up their own collaboration focused on safeguarding vaccine access, public health labs, disease tracking and emergency preparedness as President Donald Trump’s administration guts funding, according to Healey’s office.
“We’re … creating a public health infrastructure that used to exist under the federal government, but with RFK, Jr. at the helm, has been completely disrupted and dismantled,” Healey told reporters Monday at the state Capitol. “We need to make sure that … we are doing everything we can here in Massachusetts to make sure that people get access to the health care that they need.”
Vaccine access seems to be a winning issue for Democrats, who are locked out of power across Washington.
Polls show voters trust their party more on health care, underscored by a recent NBC News survey demonstrating strong vaccine support that cuts across party lines. More than nine in 10 Democrats reported supporting them, as did 72 percent of independents and 67 percent of Republicans. A vast majority of Americans — including Republicans — also said they back childhood vaccine requirements, as ruby-red Florida considers scrapping mandates for the shots in public schools.
Now Kennedy’s vaccine restrictions — a reversal from his confirmation-process pledges not to “take vaccines away from anybody” — and the firings and resignations he’s triggered at the CDC have opened a rift among Republicans and given Democrats an opportunity to pounce.
Kennedy’s approach to vaccines sparked concern from a trio of Republican senators at a contentious Hill hearing last week. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who chairs the Senate’s health committee, told reporters this week that the panel is expected to soon announce oversight hearings into Health and Human Services. Still, the agency amplified Kennedy’s skepticism of immunization safety in the Make America Healthy Again Commission report released Tuesday that calls in part to modernize American vaccines and improve the childhood vaccine schedule.
“I think most Republicans in their heart of hearts know two things: One, he’s a danger to public health. But two, he’s a danger to them politically, because Senate Republicans went along with this,” said Brad Woodhouse, a Democratic strategist and executive director of Protect Our Care, a left-leaning group pushing for Kennedy’s ouster alongside some congressional Democrats.
Woodhouse believes that calls for Kennedy to step aside and for more oversight of his agency will boost Democrats in next year’s midterms.
But blue-state governors aren’t waiting.
Hochul declared a disaster through Oct. 5 to pave the way for pharmacists to prescribe and administer the latest Covid vaccine and is reviewing potential legislative fixes to ensure longer-term access to a broader range of vaccines. She is up for reelection next year, likely to face a Republican challenge from Rep. Elise Stefanik, a high-profile Trump defender.
Healey, who’s also on the ballot next year, was the nation’s first governor to mandate local insurers cover vaccines recommended by the state regardless of federal guidance, and updated state health regulations to allow pharmacists to administer routine vaccines under the same guidelines. Massachusetts and New York were among the eight Northeastern states that recently sent health officials to a regional coordinating meeting in Rhode Island.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — viewed as a potential 2028 presidential hopeful — said his state would stick to a policy he enacted before Trump’s return to office to ensure insurance providers cover all vaccines recommended by the federal advisory panel Kennedy recently gutted.
“We are not going to give into conspiracy theorists. And we’re not giving into [the] lack of data-driven policies that are somehow influencing whether people will be safe,” Moore said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Perhaps recognizing that their issue has become political football, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told PBS the Western-state consortium hopes to pull together health officials who’ve served under both Republicans and Democrats to craft recommendations for their states, and would also draw on the advice of nonpartisan medical associations.
Still, Democrats must contend with a strain of vaccine skepticism within their own party, as well as a fraction of their voters who have embraced other aspects of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, such as phasing out certain food dyes. They’re also facing lingering backlash to and fatigue over Covid mandates and restrictions, highlighted in a recent KFF survey that found a majority of adults plan to skip their Covid shot this fall.
“Very few” voters want to “hear a vaccination debate,” Democratic pollster Paul Maslin said.
Democrats are also facing disagreement within their ranks over how to approach their broader health care messaging, a core component of their midterms pitch.
Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist running for the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open Senate seat next year, challenged more of the party to be less “feckless and afraid” and advocate for federal health care proposals he said would be in clear contrast to Kennedy’s “absurdity and brainworm ideology.”
Others like Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), a doctor of internal medicine, suggested the best way for Democrats to elevate what they view as the dangers of Republicans’ health care policies is to tie them to the party’s other core midterms message: Trump’s broken promises on fixing the economy.
“What we saw in Trump’s big, beautiful bill is a lot of people are going to lose health insurance coverage…folks are going to see their premiums soar, sometimes up to 60 percent across the board,” Bera said. “He ran on, ‘I’ll make your life better’ [and] they screwed it up.”
Still, some Democrats warn against pummeling Kennedy and Trump without offering solutions.
“Part of the problem with the Democrats has always been, ‘these guys suck, so vote for me,’ which is not an answer,” said Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon who founded Healthcare For Action, a Democratic PAC that helps elect health care workers to Congress.
Democrats need to “message what they know is coming down the pike” with Medicaid cuts, she said, noting her PAC is planning related town halls in swing districts, and “show us actual steps that they can do to make our lives better.”
Governor Whitmer joins her fellow Democratic Presidential Candidates Governors:
Gov. Whitmer issues executive directive easing access to COVID-19 vaccines in Michigan
By Kristen Jordan Shamus - September 17, 2025
Detroit Free Press* Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sept. 17 an executive directive to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines for Michiganders.
* Whitmer instructed the state agencies to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are covered by health insurance plans, there is clear safety and efficacy data, and guidance about who should get the vaccine.With rapidly changing federal vaccine policy and confusion about guidelines, eligibility and insurance coverage, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive Wednesday, Sept. 17, that orders state agencies to identify and remove barriers that could hinder Michiganders' access to COVID-19 vaccines.
“Cold, flu, and COVID-19 season are upon us," Whitmer said in a statement. "We all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe and healthy. Today’s executive directive ensures Michiganders can get the COVID-19 vaccine if it’s right for them. According to medical experts, vaccines remain the most effective way to stay healthy."
Whitmer's directive instructs the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to:
* Ensure health insurance plans under the regulatory authority of MDHHS and DIFS — including Medicaid and health plans in the individual, small group and large group markets — cover COVID-19 vaccines.
* Issue clear, accessible guidance to pharmacists, health care providers, and to the public about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
* Issue guidance instructing pharmacists and other health care providers to encourage COVID-19 vaccines, as well as to prescribe and administer them.
* Identify, review, and remove other barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access.It wasn't immediately clear exactly how those departments are to carry out the governor's directive.
Michigan joins a growing list of states where governors and public health leaders have improved access to COVID-19 vaccines as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. makes unprecedented and sweeping changes to the ways in which vaccines are recommended and reviewed nationally.
Kennedy announced in May that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children or pregnant women. And in August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration changed the labels on the vaccines, saying they should be given only to people older than 65 and to younger Americans with at least one preexisting health condition that puts them at high risk for severe disease with COVID-19.
Robert Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, testifies about his health care agenda before the Senate Committee on Finance in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4, 2025.
He also fired Susan Monarez, the director of the CDC, following a dispute over vaccines, and dismissed all 17 members of an independent vaccine advisory panel that makes recommendations to the CDC. He replaced them with his own appointees, many of whom are vaccine skeptics.Called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the newly picked members of the panel are scheduled to meet Sept. 18 and 19 to discuss the safety and efficacy of vaccines that protect people from measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox, hepatitis B and COVID-19.
That has many worried about whether further limits could be placed on long-approved and recommended vaccines and whether ACIP could alter the childhood immunization schedule.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, an infectious disease specialist who also is the chief medical executive for MDHHS, told the Detroit Free Press in late August that the nation is in "uncharted waters" with Kennedy Jr. at the helm of public health.
Already, Bagdasarian and MDHHS broke with the CDC and recommended all Michiganders 6 months and older get updated COVID-19 vaccines this season.
"I want to point out that when CDC changed their language, this was not based on data or a new review of existing data," she said in a late August interview. "This was simply a language change. The data still has not changed. The data still supports the benefit of COVID vaccines over any kind of risk, especially for pregnant women, which was one of the populations that CDC changed some of their language around."
Michigan and other states are "now taking a stronger leadership role" and are issuing their own recommendations to align with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Whitmer's directive expanding COVID-19 vaccine access also comes as Michigan experiences a surge in coronavirus cases.
The CDC reported that the number of infections statewide were growing as of Sept. 9. WastewaterSCAN's dashboard shows high levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the wastewater nationally over the last 21 days, including in Michigan.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE No. 2025-7To: State Department Directors and Autonomous Agency Heads
From: Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Date: September 17, 2025
Re: Ensuring Access to COVID-19 VaccinesRoutine vaccination promotes the health and safety of all Michiganders. When individuals in our state choose to get a COVID-19 vaccine, they protect themselves, their families and neighbors from illness, hospitalization and death. This important decision should be between a person and their healthcare provider.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians have all made evidence-based recommendations that make clear that vaccination remains a safe and effective means for protecting against COVID infection. These recommendations are consistent with prior guidance and reflect the scientific consensus regarding the safety and benefits of immunization.
In addition, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) continually reviews evidence on new and existing vaccines. This evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, have saved millions of lives, and have prevented tens of millions of hospitalizations in the U.S. The 2023–2024 vaccines reduced the risk of COVID-19-associated emergency room and urgent care visits by 65-70% for children in the first two months after vaccination.
It is imperative that all Michiganders who choose to be vaccinated continue to have access to these vaccines and that coverage under state-regulated health insurance policies remains available. Michiganders need evidence-based guidance on the safety and efficacy of COVID19 vaccines. Pharmacists and providers must be able to use their professional judgment and training to recommend and administer vaccines, consistent with their scope of practice.
Section 1 of article 5 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 vests the executive power of the State of Michigan in the governor.
Section 8 of article 5 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 places each principal department under the supervision of the governor.
Acting under the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and Michigan law, I direct the following:
1. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) must work collaboratively and take action to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are available to Michiganders who wish to access them, including, as appropriate:
a. Issuing clear, accessible guidance to providers, pharmacists, and the public regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for all appropriate populations;
b. Issuing clear, accessible guidance to providers and pharmacists to encourage prescribing and administering of COVID-19 vaccines, here appropriate;
c. Identifying, reviewing, and removing barriers to vaccine access to ensure COVID-19 vaccines remain widely available in Michigan; and
d. Ensuring to the extent possible that all health insurance plans under MDHHS and DIFS regulatory authority - including Medicaid and insurance plans in the individual, small group, and large group markets - cover COVID19 vaccines.2. All state departments and agencies must coordinate and cooperate with MDHHS, DIFS, and LARA in executing the duties outlined by this directive.
This directive is effective immediately.
Thank you for your cooperation in its implementation.
___________________________________
GRETCHEN WHITMER
GOVERNOR
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