Trump taps RFK Jr. to lead HHS

President-elect Trump has tapped anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

HHS has a budget of nearly $2 trillion and administers federal health programs including Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. HHS and its subagencies are responsible for responding to diseases and public health threats like COVID-19 and bird flu, as well as approving new drugs, including vaccines.  

HHS oversees 13 separate agencies, and Kennedy has long argued they are all in desperate need of reform.

"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," Trump posted on social media Thursday afternoon. "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health."

"Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!" the president-elect added.

Politico first reported the news.

The position requires Senate confirmation. While it could be difficult, the nomination is a sign Trump feels empowered by the comfortable Republican majority in the upper chamber. 

Trump has also raised the prospect of sidestepping the confirmation process with recess appointments. 

Kennedy brings a deep skepticism of pharmaceutical companies and the federal agencies overseeing them. But now he could soon be in charge of those same agencies as he pursues his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda. 

“RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said in a statement. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.” 

Cassidy will lead the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee next session. The HELP Committee has jurisdiction over most health nominees, but the Senate Finance Committee confirms the HHS Secretary.

The move roiled Democrats and public health leaders, who worry Kennedy could meddle with key government agencies, amplify vaccine hesitancy and direct agency funding to favor his preferred views. 

“Mr. Kennedy's outlandish views on basic scientific facts are disturbing and should worry all parents who expect schools and other public spaces to be safe for their children,” Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden (Di-Ore.) said in a statement. “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.”   

Appropriations Committee chair Patty Murray said comfirming RFK Jr. "would be nothing short of a disaster for the health of millions of families. I urge my Senate Republican colleagues to join me in forcefully condemning and opposing this catastrophic nomination.” 

Murray called Kennedy's selection "dangerous."

"There is no telling how far a fringe conspiracy theorist like RFK Jr. could set back America in terms of public health, reproductive rights, research and innovation, and so much else,” Murray said. 

Kennedy founded one of the most prominent anti-vaccine groups in the country and has promoted the debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism. Kennedy said in recent interviews he doesn’t want to take away any approved vaccines, but he claims that health agencies haven’t done enough research on them. 

The nomination is a reward for Kennedy, who ran first as a Democrat in the presidential race before switching to an independent, and then dropping out and throwing his support behind Trump. It’s also an acknowledgement that Kennedy’s big bet on Trump paid off substantially. 

First as an independent candidate for president and then as a surrogate for Trump, Kennedy has said federal health regulators are “sock puppets” held captive by industry special interests. Kennedy vowed to purge entire departments at the FDA to root out corruption. 

In a post on X in October, Kennedy said the Food and Drug Administration’s “war on public health is about to end.” 

“If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags,” he added. 

Kennedy has most recently claimed he wants to eliminate fluoride in the country’s drinking water supply, concerning health officials who consider adding the mineral chemical a major advancement to preserving teeth.  

In the closing days of the campaign, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild” on the government’s health care systems. 

“He’s going to help make America healthy again. … He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him get to it,” Trump said in a victory speech at Mar-a-Lago after the election. 

Just days prior to the election, Trump transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick told CNN Kennedy could pull liability protections from manufacturers of vaccines that are already on the market and reduce the number of vaccines on the recommended schedule. 

Lutnick implied data on vaccine safety is being hidden, and that if Kennedy got access to that information he would prove vaccines are dangerous and compel companies to recall them. 

“He’s not getting a job for HHS,” Lutnick told CNN.

Updated: 5:48 p.m.