President Trump has ordered federal funding to be withheld from schools and universities that mandate Covid vaccinations for students, White House officials announced Friday. The move is part of the administration’s broader campaign against Covid vaccine requirements.
Limited Impact Expected
The order’s practical effect may be minimal. No states currently require K-12 students to be vaccinated against Covid, and as of late last year, only 15 colleges still had vaccine mandates, according to the advocacy group No College Mandates.
In recent years, Republican-led states have taken aggressive steps against Covid vaccine mandates. At least 21 states have banned such requirements for students, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. Some lawmakers have gone even further—Montana has considered banning mRNA vaccines altogether, while Idaho has restricted local health departments from offering Covid shots.
Despite these efforts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that Covid vaccines are safe for children and have helped protect many young people from severe illness.
A Shift in Trump’s Approach
The executive order marks a shift for President Trump, who oversaw the rapid development and rollout of Covid vaccines during his first administration. Those efforts were credited with saving an estimated 140,000 lives in the initial months of vaccine availability.
Since returning to office, however, Trump has sought to roll back Covid-related mandates. Last month, he reinstated more than 8,000 troops who had been dismissed for refusing the vaccine.
The new order primarily targets mandates that were implemented in 2021, when some local school districts required Covid shots for students participating in extracurricular activities or for adults visiting school buildings. Research has shown that such mandates increased vaccination rates among children, which helped protect both students and their communities.
Declining Support for Mandates
Even in traditionally liberal areas, school-based vaccine mandates faced resistance. Some researchers argued that such policies backfired by fueling distrust and polarization. Over time, public opposition grew, leading most mandates to be phased out.
Similarly, Covid vaccine requirements at colleges were found to improve vaccination rates and reduce community transmission. A study showed that in counties where colleges mandated vaccines, overall Covid-related deaths were lower.
Teachers and school staff are also largely free from Covid vaccine mandates. The nation’s two largest school districts, New York City and Los Angeles, dropped their vaccine requirements for educators in 2023.
Other Vaccines Unaffected
Trump’s order applies only to Covid vaccines and does not affect longstanding state requirements for vaccines against measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, and chickenpox. States continue to allow exemptions for medical, religious, and other reasons.
It remains unclear whether the order will impact medical schools that still require Covid vaccinations for students. White House officials have yet to clarify how the policy will be enforced in higher education settings.