Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s prayer has been answered.
The Senate confirmed the longtime Democrat to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a massive agency with a $1.8 trillion budget, 13 agencies, and 90,000 employees.
During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy said that every morning for the last 20 years, he’s asked God to put him in a position to end America’s chronic-disease epidemic. An unapologetic critic of nearly every mainstream position on healthcare, diet, and agricultural practices, he now has a chance to make the change he’s been aching to bring about. As HHS secretary, he’ll oversee the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He believes both agencies are corrupt.
The final confirmation vote was 52-48 on Thursday. Every Democrat voted against him; one lone Republican, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, joined them. McConnell, the former Senate majority leader, also voted against Trump’s director of national intelligence nominee, Tulsi Gabbard. The Senate confirmed her on Wednesday.
Kennedy’s confirmation hearings hosted some dramatic and intense scenes. Indignant Democrats nearly convulsed at the mere thought that vaccines may not be everything they’re cracked up to be. Multiple protesters were escorted out.
Kennedy downplayed the degree of skepticism and suspicion he truly harbors toward vaccines in general, perhaps to assuage the fears of Republicans who were on the fence. But it turns out his primary message struck a chord with Republicans least likely to abandon Uniparty positions. Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski explained her position on her X account. While she continues “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies,” she agrees that health-related policies need to shift to prevention.
America’s Health Condition
Trillions of dollars are poured into a federal apparatus charged with the public health of one of the most collectively sick nations in the civilized world. That should prompt every legislator to consider reform of public health policies. Kennedy has repeatedly cited alarming health statistics. More than 70 percent of American adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese, he has said. Diabetes is 10 times more common today than it was in the 1960s. Cancer among young people is rising by one to two percent a year. Autoimmune and neurodevelopmental issues, Alzheimer’s, asthma, ADHD, depression, addiction, and other health conditions are all on the rise. Over half of Americans are chronically ill. “The United States has worse health than any other developed nation. But we spend more money on healthcare.”
The controversial Kennedy has laid out his plans. As HHS secretary, he would make sure American tax dollars support healthy food, the chemicals in food are properly investigated, financial conflicts among employees of regulatory agencies are removed, and honest, unbiased, transparent, and accountable “gold standard science” would be created at HHS. As far as what he means by “gold standard science,” he has said:
The gold standard means real scientific research with replication of studies, which very rarely happens at NIH.… We should make sure all the science is published with the raw data. We should make sure that the peer reviews are also published.… The reason people don’t trust the public health agencies is because they haven’t been trustworthy.
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