President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that will cut federal funding for schools and educational agencies requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students and staff. The move marks a significant step in Trump’s long-standing opposition to vaccine and mask mandates, a stance he emphasized during his campaign.
The order directs Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Education to create a plan that ensures federal funds are stripped from schools that do not comply. Plans for the action were first reported by Breitbart.
“I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” Trump vowed on the campaign trail last year.
This executive action follows Trump’s previous order reinstating military service members who were discharged for refusing the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Despite initially celebrating the development of vaccines during his first term, Trump and many Republicans have since pushed back against mandates, arguing they infringe on personal freedoms.
Critics, including health advocates, have raised concerns that this move signals a broader rollback of public health measures under Trump’s administration. Kennedy, a vocal skeptic of vaccines, has long been a controversial figure in the public health community, fueling speculation about the administration’s future stance on inoculation policies.
