Newsom's fight with Trump and RFK Jr. on public health

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SACRAMENTO — California Gov.Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national public health leader by staking out science-backed policies in contrast with the Trump administration.After Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

Kennedy Jr.fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez for refusing what her lawyers called “the dangerous politicization of science,” Newsom hired her to help modernize California’s public health system.

He also gave a job to Debra Houry, the agency’s former chief science and medical officer, who had resigned in protest hours after Monarez’s firing.Newsom also teamed up with fellow Democratic governors Tina Kotek of Oregon, Bob Ferguson of Washington and Josh Green of Hawaii to form the West Coast Health Alliance, a regional public health agency, whose guidance the governors said would “uphold scientific integrity in public health as Trump destroys” the CDC’s credibility.Newsom argued establishing the independent alliance was vital as Kennedy leads the Trump administration’s rollback of national vaccine recommendations.More recently, California became the first state to join a global outbreak response network coordinated by the World Health Organization, followed by Illinois and New York.

Colorado and Wisconsin signaled they plan to join.They did so after President Trump officially withdrew the United States from the agency on the grounds that it had “strayed from its core mission and has acted contrary to the U.S.

interests in protecting the U.S.public on multiple occasions.” Newsom said joining the WHO-led consortium would enable California to respond faster to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health threats.Although other Democratic governors and public health leaders have openly criticized the federal government, few have been as outspoken as Newsom, who is considering a run...