WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he plans to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, another controversial nominee facing a hard confirmation process in the U.S. given his non-scientific beliefs Senate could face public health concerns, including its anti-vaccination stance.
“I am pleased to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) of the United States,” Trump wrote on social media. “For too long, Americans have been oppressed by the industrial food elaborate and pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in deception, misinformation and disinformation when it comes to public health.
“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important responsibility of any government, and HHS will play a major role in ensuring everyone is protected from the harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health crisis in this country.”
HHS receives about $116.8 billion in federal discretionary funds and about $1.7 trillion in mandatory spending each year and is home to several notable public health agencies, including the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Kennedy ran as an independent candidate in this year’s presidential election and frequently repeated wrong information about vaccines and spread other conspiracy theories about public health.
He has no background in science, research or medicine. He graduated from Harvard University and then earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of heroin in February 1984 in Rapid City, SD, before receiving two years of probation, which ended a year early. As part of this probation, he volunteered with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Kennedy spent much of his career as an environmental lawyer and published several books.
After Kennedy ended his own presidential bid this year, he supported Trump and frequently campaigned for him.
Criticism of the nomination began quickly after the news broke Thursday, although far-right Republicans are expected to celebrate the nomination.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the nonprofit watchdog organization Public Citizen, released a written statement saying, “Kennedy is a science-denying, morally bankrupt conspiracy theorist who will endanger people’s lives if he gets into a position of authority over health.” “The U.S. Senate should unanimously reject this nomination.”
Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released a written statement saying he was interested in learning more about Kennedy during the confirmation process.
“RFK Jr. has championed issues such as healthy food and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,” Cassidy wrote. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.”
Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, a senior member of the HELP panel that will hold the confirmation hearing, wrote in a statement that Kennedy “could not be more dangerous – this is a matter of grave concern for every American.” “
“There is no telling to what extent a fringe conspiracy theorist like RFK Jr. could set America back on public health, reproductive rights, research and innovation, and much more,” Murray wrote. “The implications here are neither theoretical nor superficial – health care access, coverage, research and public health are vital issues for people – and the COVID pandemic was an all-too-recent, all-too-painful memory.”
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul congratulated Kennedy on social media, writing, “Congratulations to @RobertKennedyJr on his nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.” Finally someone to detoxify the place after the Fauci era. Get ready for healthcare freedom and MAHA!”
Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis, a former member of Congress, who previously criticized Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance as a way to bring back polio and measles, cheered his nomination in a long social media post.
“I hope that when it comes to vaccines he relies on personal choice rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like regulations), but I’m most optimistic about taking on big pharma and the government. “To take on a corporate oligopoly in order to improve our health.”
Polis added one more post About an hour later, he wrote that science “must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-based decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety.”
“But if we as a country follow the science, we would also be far more concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health, agricultural policy on nutrition, and the lack of access to prescription drugs due to high drug prices,” Polis added. “That’s why I support a comprehensive restructuring of institutions like the FDA, which have been barriers to reducing drug costs and promoting healthy eating. Let there be no doubt: I am vaccinated, as are my family. I will demand the same high standards of protecting and improving public health from every HHS Secretary.”
Last updated on November 15, 2024, 12:53 p.m
