By Andrew Stanton
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Former President Donald Trump's plan to cut federal funding to public schools that require vaccination mandates sparked concerns about funding for schools in Republican states requiring most students to be immunized from diseases like measles and polio. However, a Trump spokesperson clarified he was referring to COVID-19 vaccines.
Trump said during a rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, last month that he would not support federal funds for any schools requiring vaccine or mask mandates, a policy that would be a departure from even the most conservative of states. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all states and territories have some vaccine requirements in place, though mandates may differ in scope and exemptions.
"I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate," he said, eliciting cheers from the audience.
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Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, told Newsweek that Trump was "talking about COVID vaccines in addition to masks in the same breath."
"This isn't something new he's saying," she said.
...
In his remarks at the rally, the former president did not differentiate between whether this would apply to all types of vaccines, including those that have been required by schools for decades, or simply the COVID-19 vaccination, as some critics have raised concerns about the speed in which it was rolled out after the virus forced widespread shutdowns across the globe beginning in 2020.
Removing all vaccine requirements from schools could have serious impact on students, public health experts warned following his remarks.
"Hoping he doesn't really mean it, since it would create a public health catastrophe for the nation..." Dr. Peter Hotez, dean at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
"I'm old enough to remember when polio ripped through the globe and put my 6-year-old friends into iron lungs," former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich wrote. "We dutifully lined up at school to get polio shots [without the howling of anti-vaxxers]. And we eradicated polio. Why has saving lives become political?"
Such a policy would pull funding from schools in areas run by Republicans.
"Trump said in Richmond, that he will take all federal funds away from public schools that require vaccines. Like most states, Virginia requires MMR vaccine, chickenpox vaccine, polio, etc. So Trump would take millions in federal funds away from all Virginia public schools," wrote former GOP Representative Barbara Comstock, a Trump critic.
Virginia, which voted for Democrats in recent elections but backed Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2021, requires 11 vaccines for students to attend schools or other child care facilities, according to the Virginia Department of Public Health.
Some of the states with the most conservative governors also require vaccines for schools.
Texas, for instance, requires students to be vaccinated against at least nine viruses, according to the Department of State Health Services. It allows exemptions when a medical reason exists or if parents or guardians have "reasons of conscience," including religious beliefs.
Florida, which has recently been struck by a measles outbreak, requires at least seven vaccines but also allows exemptions based on medical reasons and religious beliefs, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Trump was vaccinated against COVID-19 and has touted Operation Warp Speed, his administration's effort to quickly roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, as helping to save lives. His stance on vaccines has at times left him at odds with his most conservative voters, some of whom have rejected vaccines. While he has said the vaccine is safe, he has also opposed the government requiring individuals to get vaccinated if they opt not to do so.
Most Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, are supportive of childhood vaccines, according to a March 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center. Only 10 percent of respondents said the risks of those vaccines outweigh the benefits, while 88 percent said the benefits outweigh the risks.
Update 3/5/24, 3:06 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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