Colorado's Democratic governor cheers RFK Jr. pick for HHS
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis celebrated President-elect Trump's decision to name Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Why it matters: The vocal support from a Democratic governor is surprising given Polis announced the creation of a national organization designed to push back on actions from the Trump administration a day earlier.
Yes, but: Polis and Kennedy align on the issue of vaccines. Both oppose mandates on school vaccines and worked together to block a proposed requirement in Colorado in 2019.
What he's saying: Kennedy "will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA," Polis said in a Thursday statement on X. "What I'm most optimistic about is taking on Big Pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health."
The other side: Colorado Democratic Party chairman Shad Murib issued a statement blasting Kennedy's appointment, pointing to sexual assault accusations and how he uses "his personal beliefs and conspiracy theories" to undermine trust in science.
The intrigue: Polis appeared aware that his statement would be controversial. He asked people to dive deeper into the issues "before you mock him or disagree."
- In a subsequent social media post, Polis backtracked, saying he "will hold any HHS secretary to the same high standard of protecting and improving public health."
Flashback: Polis criticized Kennedy in August. In response to a Kennedy interview on Fox News in which he said he would campaign for Trump, Polis wrote on X: "Not sure how bringing back measles and bringing back Polio makes anyone more healthy."
The big picture: The decision to name Kennedy — a leading vaccine skeptic — to lead the nation's health infrastructure drew an immediate outcry from public health advocates.
- The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
Between the lines: Kennedy ended his independent presidential bid — despite strong backing in Colorado — and endorsed Trump, who said in October he'd allow Kennedy to "go wild" on federal oversight of food and medicine.
Zoom in: Polis and Kennedy also support allowing Americans to import prescription drugs from other countries, and the governor is hopeful to do so in Colorado.
- The Polis administration submitted an application to the FDA requesting the ability to import drugs from Canada in the first Trump administration but it went nowhere under President Biden.
Other areas where Polis said he agrees with Kennedy are the need to abolish the FDA's nutrition department. "The entire nutrition regime is dominated by big corporate [agriculture] rather than human health and they do more harm than good," Polis said.
Polis also supports Kennedy's push to reduce "pesticide-intensive agriculture," saying "we need all the help we can get to take on big chemical companies and improve human health and the environment."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.