Kennedy waits to enter a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images
More than 700 public health experts and doctors signed a new letter opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for secretary of Health and Human Services.
- It comes on top of a separate letter signed last week from more than 15,000 doctors urging senators not to confirm him.
Why it matters: The letter points to Kennedy's criticism of vaccines and warns of setbacks in the fight against infectious diseases.
What they're saying: The letter states that Kennedy "is decidedly anti-vaccine and could, if confirmed, undermine not only the progress we've made in saving lives from COVID-19 but also from life-threatening infectious diseases including polio, tetanus, measles, mumps, seasonal flu and more."
- It was organized by a new coalition called Defend Public Health, along with Human Impact Partners.
- Signers include James Alwine, emeritus professor of cancer biology at the University of Pennsylvania; Nancy Krieger, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Jodie Guest, an epidemiologist at Emory University.
The big picture: There's not been any firm public opposition to Kennedy from Senate Republicans, and Kennedy in private meetings has been saying he's "pro vaccine safety," not "anti-vaccine," as he put it to Sen. John Cornyn last week.
