Over 420 Anti-Science Bills Target Public Health Protections Across US Statehouses

Over 420 anti-science bills targeting long-established public health protections such as vaccines, milk safety, and fluoride have been introduced in state legislatures across the U.S. this year, with around 30 enacted in 12 states. This wave of legislation is part of a coordinated campaign pushed by activists with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and supported by officials in the Trump administration who aim to reshape public health laws and perceptions nationally. The movement, branded as the Make America Healthy Again agenda, promotes anti-vaccine and other anti-science ideas under the guise of natural food and chemical reduction, contributing to declining vaccination rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough. Experts warn that this mainstreaming of conspiracy-driven policies threatens public health and could result in preventable deaths. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also rolling back scientific protections at the federal level, exemplified by the removal of the Environmental Protection Agency's 2025 scientific integrity policy, which safeguarded scientists' ability to communicate and provided processes to handle differing scientific opinions. This dual assault on science in both legislation and federal agencies signals a troubling trend of diminished support for evidence-based public health and scientific integrity in the U.S.