Gov. Pritzker Joins Launch of Governors Public Health Alliance to Protect Illinoisians from Trump’s Attack on Science 

CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the launch of the Governors Public Health Alliance, a coalition of 15 governors committed to protecting their states from the Trump administration’s erosion of trust and dismantlement of America’s public health infrastructure. The Alliance builds on months of work done behind the scenes to counter the federal government’s war on science, vaccine misinformation, and stripping of healthcare from millions of Americans. 

Gov. Pritzker joins Governors Bob Ferguson (WA), Josh Green (HI), Kathy Hochul (NY), Tina Kotek (OR), Ned Lamont (CT), Lou Leon Guerrero (GU), Dan McKee (RI), Matt Meyer (DE), Wes Moore (MD), Phil Murphy (NJ), Gavin Newsom (CA), Jared Polis (CO), Maura Healy (MA), and Josh Stein (NC) in this unprecedented effort. 

“Public health should never be politicized. 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,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “When the federal government abandons science for conspiracy theories, slashes Medicaid, and undermines vaccine integrity, states must stand united to defend the facts. Here in Illinois and with my colleagues across the country, I will continue to put science and our people first.” 

The Governors Public Health Alliance represents 129 million Americans—37% of the U.S. population—across the country. The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a unified, cross-state liaison with the global health community and will facilitates this cross-state collaboration by bringing together regional and other groups to share best practices and surface common challenges, elevating national considerations for vaccine procurement, policy solutions and more. 

In addition to joining the launch of the Governors Public Health Alliance, Gov. Pritzker also signed an Executive Order last month to protect life-saving immunization access for Illinoisans in light of the federal government’s confusing and inaccurate vaccine guidelines. This Executive Order was necessitated by federal actions, including the abrupt dismissal of top administrators from the CDC, the unilateral shift in FDA approval for some uses of COVID-19 vaccines, and the firing of all members of the independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) board. These actions have led to the erosion of trust, caused confusion regarding vaccine guidelines, and threatened access to life-saving vaccines. 

Illinois continues to quickly adapt to barriers put in place by the federal government that jeopardize life-saving immunizations for children, families, seniors, people with disabilities, and rural and underserved communities. It reaffirms the state’s leadership in science-based public health and its commitment to protecting residents both in Illinois and across the country who deserve access to accurate information and trustworthy public health resources. 

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