Year in Review: Governors Coordinate to Push Back on Federal Overreach, Tariffs, and Democratic Erosion and Stand Up for Reproductive Freedom and Public Health

As instability in Washington, D.C. deepened in 2025, Governors increasingly stepped up as the country’s front line of defense. GovAct and its alliances supported Governors as they took coordinated action to defend democracy, protect families from economic disruption, and preserve access to essential services, public health, and health care. 

COORDINATED RESPONSE TO FEDERAL OVERREACH 

• GovAct mobilized 33 bipartisan former Governors to defend AmeriCorps, 27 bipartisan former Governors to stand up for the SNAP program in federal court, and 25 bipartisan former Governors to oppose National Guard takeovers in California and Illinois, including before the Supreme Court, which ruled against the National Guard deployments.

GOVERNORS PUSH BACK ON TARIFF-DRIVEN ECONOMIC CHAOS 

• As tariffs fueled price hikes and disrupted supply chain and companies decided not to disclose the consequences, Governors across the country took action to collect and share economic data, laying bare the harmful impacts on families and small businesses.
• Six Governors formally aligned to mitigate economic fallout and protect key state industries:
  • Gov. Katie Hobbs (AZ) 
  • Gov. Jared Polis (CO) 
  • Gov. JB Pritzker (IL) 
  • Gov. Kathy Hochul (NY) 
  • Gov. Tina Kotek (OR) 
  • Gov. Bob Ferguson (WA) 

GOVERNORS PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM AND PUBLIC HEALTH 

• Since the Dobbs decision, in 20 states, Governors have signed into law shield laws to protect patients, providers, and helpers 

• 22 Governors signed a joint letter defending veteran access to abortion care 

• 15 Governors, representing one-third of the U.S. population, launched a new Governors Public Health Alliance, coordinating to protect vaccines, global health data, and affordable care 

• 25+ states took action to protect vaccine access for nearly 195 million people 

WHAT THIS SIGNALS 

This year underscored a clear shift: when federal leadership falters, Governors are increasingly acting together—across state lines and in real time—to stabilize democracy, the economy, reproductive rights, and public health. GovAct has functioned as the connective tissue enabling that coordination. Looking ahead to 2026, Governors will continue to be at the forefront as federal-state tensions shape the political landscape.