Trump chooses Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the secretary of his Department of Health and Human Services

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his next secretary of HHS. This nomination will be the latest in Trump’s line of contentious choices whose confirmation processes will test the loyalty of Senate Republicans.

Trump stated in a post on X that the safety and health of all Americans should be the top priority for any administration and that HHS will be crucial in ensuring that everyone is shielded from

• Dangerous chemicals
• Pollutants
• Pesticides
• Pharmaceuticals
• Food additives

that have contributed to the nation’s severe health crisis. To put an end to the plague of chronic diseases and to make America great and healthy once more, Mr. Kennedy will return these agencies to the traditions of gold-standard scientific research and serve as beacons of transparency.

One of the most well-known anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists in the US for years, RFK accepted the offer Thursday. He has a history of spreading erroneous ideas regarding the effectiveness and safety of having shots. After the election, he has been in Palm Beach, Florida, for a few days.

Kennedy would be in charge of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act if he were elected as the nation’s top public health official. It’s unclear if Trump and his health officials would unveil a plan to enhance Obamacare, as he pledged during the campaign, even if he has shifted away from trying to completely dismantle the legislation.

Any changes that Trump and legislative Republicans try to make to Medicaid, which covers health care for Americans with low incomes, would also implicate RFK. During Trump’s first term, Congress attempted in vain to cut the program’s budget, and the government attempted to impose work requirements, which were mainly rebuffed in court. Nearly 72.5 million Americans are covered by the program, which is anticipated to be targeted during Trump’s second term, particularly as the GOP looks for savings to counteract the tax cuts they intend to enact.

Reversing the chronic disease crisis was a major component of Kennedy’s presidential campaign, which he started last year as a Democratic opponent of President Joe Biden and later as an independent. He put out a number of measures to improve environmental and food safety regulations, support complementary therapies, and reorganize public financing for vaccine development.

RFK met with Donald Trump several times in the closing days of his campaign, and during those meetings, they talked about the prospect of him supporting Donald in return for a position in his administration. In August, Kennedy embraced Trump and put a halt to his campaign.

Following Trump’s revelation that he had chosen RFK for the top health position, shares of well-known vaccine manufacturers fell sharply on Thursday.

Kennedy vowed to make significant changes to the nation’s public health policies since Election Day.