On February 14, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting federal funding to schools and universities that enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates. This directive instructs the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to develop plans to terminate vaccine requirements for COVID-19 and identify discretionary federal grants or contracts for institutions that do not comply, with the aim of withdrawing funding “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
The order is expected to have minimal national impact, as most educational institutions have already discontinued COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and numerous states have enacted legislation prohibiting such requirements. Notably, the order pertains exclusively to COVID-19 vaccines and does not affect mandates for other vaccinations, such as those for measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, and chickenpox, which remain widely required in schools across the United States.
Critics argue that this executive order could undermine public health efforts and compromise student safety. Senator Patty Murray, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, described the action as “unconscionable and unethical,” emphasizing that vaccine requirements are longstanding measures designed to protect student health.
In addition to the vaccine mandate order, President Trump also signed an executive order establishing a council on U.S. “energy dominance.” This council aims to increase domestic energy production and reduce costs in regions such as New York and New England through projects like expanding the Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline.
