Washington, D.C. — President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will choose Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist and vocal critic of vaccines, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The news has prompted widespread debate over Kennedy’s unconventional views on health and how he might affect the nation’s top health agency.
Kennedy, who was in the race as an independent candidate for only a few weeks in the 2024 presidential race before endorsing Trump in August, promised to better everything from chronic disease to food safety. In his social media post, Kennedy said he will “Make America Healthy Again” by talking about systemic health challenges and rooting out corruption with the U.S. healthcare system.
Vision for HHS With Kennedy Becoming a Member
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago on the occasion of Kennedy’s visit, Trump was quoted as saying that he had full confidence in Kennedy’s ability to reform the HHS. Trump said he calls Kennedy “unbelievable” while hailing his long history of advocacy. “Robert will bring fresh ideas to the table and take on the issues Americans care about most,” he said.
The Department runs programs like the CDC and the FDA, whose services range from providing health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to serve 140 million Americans. With an annual budget of $3.09 trillion—that is nearly one in every four dollars in federal spending—HHS is something of a linchpin of the U.S. healthcare system.
Objectives For Kennedy
Kennedy has ambitious plans for his term in office, including FDA reforms, which he’s called a facilitator of public health issues due to “corruption.” He has promised an inside shake-up at the agency, warning FDA staff through social media posts to “save records” and “pack their bags.”
Here are some of his policy ideas:
Removing fluoride from public water supplies, which he believes are linked with health risk factors.
Elevated scrutiny of pharmaceutical companies and their influence on public health policies.
Address the chronic disease epidemic, which he says is caused by chemicals in food and the environment.The proposals have elicited mixed reactions. Experts say his anti-vaccine stance and other rather unorthodox views might harm some critical health programs.
Mixed reaction from stakeholders
The Democratic Party and many public health activists are said to have even opposed Kennedy’s appointment, especially based on his history of spreading misinformation that vaccine news spreads. Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, mentioned the danger such views from Kennedy might pose to these critical programs, Medicare and Medicaid.
Other business groups including the National Community Pharmacists Association expressed jubilation at the change, speculating that Kennedy may turn out to be a scorching opponent for the pharmaceutical industries and would plead for the best possible care of the patient.
Effects on Vaccines and Public Health
Kennedy’s leadership and statements raise far graver questions: Where will vaccine policies go from here? Pfizer and Moderna shares plummeted after the news broke.
Kennedy, whom many have pilloried for his criticism of vaccines as linked with autism—he does not share convincing scientific opinion—the anti-vaccination advocate known for calling for stronger vaccine testing has said repeatedly he is not anti-vaccine. His past role within the organization Children’s Health Defense, however, is very much tied in anti-vaccination language.
“Immunization has saved millions of lives and is critical to preventing the outbreaks of diseases like measles,” said Osterholm of the University of Minnesota.
Challenges Ahead
While a Kennedy appointment is historic, how much will he be able to change remains unknown. Critic notes that federal agencies are run under significant constraints, and secretaries have little authority for unilaterally policy changes.
According to Drew Altman, president of the health research firm KFF, the appointment was “renegade” and should have paid special focus to core health programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.
As Kennedy prepares for the role, the nation waits with bated breath to see what off-the-orthodox approach will do to U.S. healthcare in the future.
