West Coast Governors Form Alliance to Issue Vaccine Guidance as CDC Faces Turmoil

California, Oregon and Washington announced Wednesday that they have formed a regional health alliance to produce and share vaccine guidance, saying the move is necessary because federal leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been destabilized.

The three Democratic governors said the alliance will provide "credible information" about vaccine safety and efficacy and ensure that public health policies in their states are guided by "trusted scientists, clinicians, and other public health leaders." In a joint statement, the governors said the effort was meant "to ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics."

The announcement came as the governors criticized actions by the Trump Administration they said have weakened the CDC. The joint statement accused the administration of "dismantling" the agency and accused President Donald Trump of a "mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists—and his blatant politicization of the agency," calling that "a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people." The governors added that "the CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences."

The alliance will focus on producing guidance on vaccine safety and efficacy for residents of the three states and on disseminating information that the governors described as vetted by independent public health experts. The statement said the states "will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk."

Public health guidance for vaccines in the United States has historically flowed from federal agencies such as the CDC, which convenes panels of scientists and issues recommendations used by states and health systems. The governors framed the new regional effort as a response to what they described as recent disruptions at the federal level that could undermine public confidence and consistent policy.

Officials did not provide a detailed timetable for publishing new guidance or outline specific mechanisms for how recommendations would be developed or enforced across the three states. They said the alliance will share information among state health departments and with clinicians and public health leaders to coordinate policy and outreach.

Regional collaborations among state health authorities are not unprecedented, but the announcement underscores tensions between state and federal public health leadership at a time when vaccination guidance remains central to responses to infectious disease outbreaks. The governors said their priority is to maintain public health protections based on scientific evidence.

The states did not comment on how their guidance might diverge from current federal recommendations or how conflicts would be resolved if and when they arise. The alliance is positioned as a means to preserve access to what the governors described as nonpoliticized, science-based information for residents and health professionals in the West Coast states.

The formation of the alliance follows weeks of debate and scrutiny over federal public health leadership. The governors urged residents to rely on information from medical experts and public health authorities while the states develop and share their own guidance.

Further details about the alliance’s membership, governance and specific guidance products were not included in the initial statement. The three governors said they will continue to work together to protect their populations and to coordinate responses that reflect scientific expertise and clinical best practices.