On Friday, President Donald Trump will sign an executive order that would ban federal funds to schools and colleges that maintain COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Despite only a handful of schools still maintaining vaccine requirements, aid will not be awarded to schools and colleges that maintain COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
According to No College Mandates, a group against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, only 15 colleges and universities still had mandates as of the end of 2024. Most of the colleges are smaller, private schools.
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Many schools and colleges implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates in 2021 as cases and deaths spiked in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 was associated with approximately 460,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2021.
But as Americans gained some immunity, whether through vaccination, infection, or both, those numbers tumbled. In 2022, COVID-19 was associated with an estimated 244,000 deaths in the U.S. By 2023, this number dropped to around 76,000.
“These mandates pressure students into making COVID-19 vaccine decisions based on government coercion, rather than on their own informed choices,” said a White House fact sheet previewing the executive order.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicates Americans are far less interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine than they were in 2021.
As of last week, an estimated 11.7% of children ages 6 months through 17 years had received this season’s COVID-19 vaccine. For adults, about 22.6% have gotten a shot.
