Vaccine battle shifts to states as federal path narrows
By Caitlin Owens
Published on March 18, 2026.
The "Make America Healthy Again" movement and its allies are focusing on state legislatures, where much of the federal agenda is frozen. This follows a temporary injunction by a federal judge preventing the Trump administration from implementing recommendations from a vaccine advisory committee. This comes as the administration shifts away from vaccine rhetoric and policymaking ahead of the midterms. The Department of Health and Human Services anticipates the court's decision to overturn this injunction. A legislative tracker by MAHA Action, an organization aligned with Kennedy, features over 50 bills being watched, with "health freedom" bills accounting for nearly 40% of them. However, there have been setbacks at the state level, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urging state legislators to pass a bill expanding school vaccine exemptions and removing the state surgeon general's ability to mandate vaccines during a public health emergency.
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