Confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr’s nomination to be US health secretary
Confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr’s nomination to be US health secretary
Share:
Environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine activist has sparked fierce resistance from scientific community. Robert F Kennedy Jr, the environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine activist, faces a watershed moment this week as the Senate confirmation hearings begin on his nomination as the US’s top health official, setting up what could be the most contentious cabinet battle of Donald Trump’s second administration.
The 71-year-old Kennedy, whose nomination has sparked fierce resistance from the scientific establishment, would take control of a sprawling $1.8tn healthcare apparatus at a time when public trust in medical institutions remains deeply fractured along partisan lines.
As health and human services secretary, Kennedy would oversee everything from vaccine policy to food safety, wielding enormous influence over public health decisions affecting millions of Americans. His controversial views – including debunked claims about vaccines and autism, fluoride safety and raw milk regulations – have put him at odds with mainstream medical consensus.
Kennedy told NPR in December that as a member of the administration, he is “not going to take vaccines away from anybody”, but he also added he wanted people to make “informed choices”. In a letter to senators obtained by the Washington Post, Kennedy’s cousin Caroline branded him a “predator”, claiming he privately vaccinated his own children while publicly stoking vaccine hesitancy among worried parents. The accusation, from a former ambassador to Australia and Japan, lands as more than 15,000 medical professionals and 75 Nobel laureates have similarly mobilized against his confirmation.
