
Trump Announces RFK Jr as HHS Secretary Pick
Key Takeaways
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an antivaccine activist, is nominated to lead HHS, potentially impacting national health policies.
- Kennedy's focus may include drug policy, food safety, and public health initiatives like vaccination and water fluoridation.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has announced his selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr as his chosen nominee for secretary of HHS—a role in which the vaccine skeptic could wield enormous influence over public health.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead HHS, he announced Thursday
Trump had previously vowed to let Kennedy, who has no medical training,
After ceasing his own independent presidential campaign, Kennedy was welcomed into the Trump fold, where his views on public health, drugs, and nutrition were branded as part of Trump’s "Make America Healthy Again” pitch to address the causes of chronic disease in the US. Kennedy has called for removing fluoride from public water, among other steps. He has long spread the
These statements and goals would likely face tough scrutiny in a Senate confirmation hearing, even as Republicans control both houses of Congress with the incoming term. It's also unclear where Kennedy would stand on health policy efforts such as repealing or weakening the Affordable Care Act, Medicare drug price negotiations, 340B reform, pharmacy benefit manager transparency, or other legislative priorities. In a September op-ed in
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D, Oregon) said in a statement that “Mr. Kennedy's outlandish views on basic scientific facts are disturbing and should worry all parents who expect schools and other public spaces to be safe for their children.” He also hinted that his committee will seek to tie Kennedy and Trump to politically unpopular efforts like repealing the Affordable Care Act and restricting Medicaid.
Even as Kennedy’s influence in Trump’s circle grew over the final weeks of the campaign, many did not expect him to be the HHS nominee, instead surmising that he may help vet resumes and steer policy. Before the election, Trump transition cochair
Instead, Kennedy will represent an unorthodox choice who has vowed to take on “the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health,” according to Trump’s announcement. He has also
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