• California, Oregon, and Washington establish the West Coast Health Alliance.
• The alliance aims to provide science-driven vaccine recommendations.
• The move is a response to perceived politicization of the CDC by the Trump administration.
• State officials emphasize the importance of maintaining public trust in health guidance.
• The creation of this alliance follows significant leadership changes at the CDC.

On September 3, 2025, the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington announced the formation of the West Coast Health Alliance. This coalition aims to implement unified, science-based vaccine recommendations, distancing themselves from the recent politically charged decisions made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Southern governors criticized the Trump administration's influence, stating, "The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science..." according to latimes, thehill, and lemonde.

The initiative follows discontent among state leaders regarding Kennedy's restructuring of the CDC and the dismissal of key staff members, which led to a perceived instability in public health guidance. Officials from the three states emphasized the need for solid scientific backing in their health policies, with the coalition's focus on "evidence-based unified recommendations" designed to enhance public trust in vaccination safety. "Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have indisputably saved millions of lives..." said Oregon Health Director Sejal Hathi, according to latimes and thehill.

The announcement of this coalition occurs in the midst of rising Covid-19 cases and amid criticisms of the CDC's newly appointed advisory committee, which features several members seen as adversaries to established vaccine research. Concerns have arisen over the leadership changes within the CDC, with claims of a politicized agenda jeopardizing public health measures. As stated in a joint declaration by the governors, the changing dynamics at the CDC are "placing lives at risk," according to thehill and lemonde.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has criticized the states for their past COVID-19 policies, with spokesperson Andrew Nixon arguing that the alliance's creation reflects a damaged public trust in health agencies due to the Democrats' "unscientific school lockdowns" and other measures taken during the pandemic. He reaffirmed that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will remain the authoritative body for vaccination advice, according to thehill and lemonde.