Trump Moves to Block Federal Funds for Schools Enforcing COVID Vaccine Mandates
In a move to curb COVID-19 vaccine mandates in education, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that will strip federal funding from schools enforcing such requirements.
The White House confirmed that the order explicitly bars the use of federal funds to “support or subsidize an educational service agency, state education agency, local education agency, elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccination to attend in-person education programs,” Fox News reports.
Additionally, the order directs newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Secretary of Education to establish guidelines for compliance and develop a plan to “end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates.”
It mandates the creation of a system to withhold federal funding from schools that continue to enforce such requirements.
As of May 2024, no U.S. state requires the COVID-19 vaccine for K-12 students, according to Immunize.org, per Fox News. However, No College Mandates, a group advocating against COVID-19 vaccine requirements, reported that as of December 2024, 15 out of more than 1,200 higher education institutions it tracks still had some form of vaccine mandate in place.
The move follows previous executive actions by Trump targeting vaccine and mask mandates. In late January, he signed an executive order stating that COVID-19 vaccine mandates for U.S. service members were “unfair, overbroad, and [a] completely unnecessary burden.”
That order aimed to make reinstatement available for all service members who had been discharged solely for refusing the vaccine and wished to return to duty. The Pentagon had mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for all service members in August 2021, but the requirement was rescinded in January 2023.
In January, Trump also signed an order removing federal funding from K–12 schools that teach critical race theory. Now, he is extending his focus to schools enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, stating that such policies “threaten educational opportunities for students.”
The White House fact sheet states that the administration believes the order is necessary to prevent schools from restricting students’ access to education based on vaccine status.
“Parents are being forced into a difficult position: comply with a controversial mandate or risk their child’s educational future,” the White House said, according to ABC News.
The impact of COVID-19 vaccine mandates has been a point of contention in higher education. In October, TTOA reported that the University of California, Santa Cruz, imposed a vaccine mandate on students, requiring compliance even from those who had received exemptions or risked being removed from campus.
However, the new executive order applies solely to students, not to faculty or staff.
Trump made his stance on vaccine and mask mandates clear during his 2024 campaign, vowing to eliminate them entirely.
“I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” he declared last August.
Supporters of the executive order argue it reinforces parental rights and prevents educational institutions from imposing what they see as unnecessary restrictions.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Leave a Comment