RFK Jr. at a Nov. 1 campaign rally. Photo: Jim Vondruska/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump's pick to be HHS secretary, is an unconventional nominee whose selection could force Congress to revisit some of the deep fault lines left by the pandemic.
Why it matters: Kennedy has alarmed public health experts because of his history of anti-vaccine views.
- He's recently tried to offer some reassurance, telling NBC last week that he wouldn't "take away anybody's vaccines."
- But he'd have a range of public health levers at his disposal, short of trying to take a vaccine off the market. He'd also wield enormous influence assessing the safety and appropriateness of drugs, tests and other products.
Trump said in announcing the pick on Truth Social that HHS would go after "harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country."
The big picture: Kennedy does not come from a traditional conservative background and is a further sign of Trump remaking the Republican Party.
- While his skepticism of vaccines, fluoride in water and other public health matters have generated controversy, HHS also oversees many other health policy areas where his views are less well known.
- "His views on the big health care programs HHS oversees — Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA — are more of a mystery," KFF executive vice president Larry Levitt wrote on X.
- Current CDC Director Mandy Cohen expressed concern with his potential influence in a new administration earlier this week.
- "Even without changing one regulation or one piece of guidance," she told The New York Times, "the sharing of misinformation from a place of power is concerning."
Between the lines: Kennedy's focus has also been on nutrition and issues like additives in Americans' food.
- Kennedy is one of the leads on the Make America Healthy Again movement, which focuses on chronic disease prevention and "getting the corruption out of government."
- He singled out the FDA's nutrition regulators in the NBC interview, saying some would "have to go."
- "They're not protecting our kids. Why do we have Fruit Loops in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients and you go to Canada and it's got two or three?" he said.
- Kennedy has also been back-and-forth on views of abortion — which HHS and the FDA have control over at the federal level. In the past he's said he supports a federal abortion ban but didn't say at what point of a pregnancy that should be enacted.
What we're watching: Kennedy could face some tough sledding in the Senate on a confirmation vote, though other controversial Trump nominees might siphon some of the attention.
- Incoming Senate HELP chairman Bill Cassidy cited Kennedy's advocacy of healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in the public health infrastructure.
- "I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda," he said.
What they're saying: Sen. Rand Paul responded to the pick on X: "Finally, someone to detox the place after the Fauci era. Get ready for health care freedom and MAHA!"
- But Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden called out Kennedy's "outlandish views on basic scientific facts" that he said should disturb parents who expect schools and other public spaces to be safe.
- "When Mr. Kennedy comes before the Finance Committee, it's going to be very clear what Americans stand to lose under Trump and Republicans in Congress," Wyden said.
