On November 14, President-elect Donald Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his upcoming cabinet.
Kennedy is well-known for spreading anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, touting beliefs that vaccinations cause Autism. This claim is empirically false. However, he founded the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense and has said under his leadership, Americans will have greater access to data on vaccine safety.
Kennedy has also suggested that chemicals in the drinking water supply may cause people to “turn gay.” One of his main priorities is to remove fluoride from public water, as he believes it leads to “IQ loss, neurodevelopment disorders, and thyroid disease.”
As the leader of HHS, Kennedy will oversee the Affordable Care Act and plans to pull federal funding from gender-affirming services. The Trump administration will also axe funding to Medicaid, a proposal Kennedy supports. His primary focus in the department will be reconstructing food safety and environmental guidelines, allocating funds toward vaccine research, and promoting holistic medications.
He has echoed Trump’s desire to “reverse the chronic disease epidemic in the United States.” Scientists agree that chronic diseases are often linked to poor nutrition and have pushed for FDA reform. However, many fear Kennedy’s approach may cause more harm than good, especially if he prioritizes his distrust of scientifically approved vaccines and continues to push false claims that medications like ivermectin are “miracle drugs.”
Kennedy will also oversee the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration. He has promised to start on day one by firing hundreds of government employees and scientists to appoint his own. He specifically wants to target the National Institute of Health, which oversees vaccine research. Kennedy also wants to reform the SNAP food assistance program, implement more regulations on pesticides, chemicals, and food additives, and reduce the availability of overprocessed foods. This directly opposes Trump’s previous Department of Health and Human Services, which was adamant on deregulation.
