Above photo: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2024. Gage Skidmore/Flickr.
The Senate hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for US Health and Human Services secretary, fueled concerns over his vaccine skepticism.
And lack of real health policies.
In the course of two Senate hearings this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), faced a long list of questions, ranging from immunization to chronic diseases to the functioning of the United States health system in general. Having observed him spreading vaccine misinformation for years, most senators were prepared for a very long conversation—and that’s exactly what they got.
During his marathon testimonies, Kennedy largely struggled to provide definite and clear answers. One of the most concerning moments came when he failed to differentiate between the basic functions and workings of Medicare and Medicaid, two of the most important health programs in the US. While he could talk at length about the functioning of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose work he has frequently attacked, his lack of knowledge about other parts of the healthcare system left many worried.
Even ahead of the hearing, health activists and professionals—including the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)—protested the nomination, warning that Kennedy’s appointment would cause serious harm to public health. Considering the complexity of health issues in the US, the next HHS secretary has to hit the ground running, APHA stated. “Mr. Kennedy has neither the training nor management experience nor judgment for such an important and complex position,” they added.
Concerns about Kennedy taking on the role have been growing in the health community ever since his nomination in November 2024. He has spent years nurturing conspiracy theories about immunization, contributing to vaccine hesitancy across the country even as preventable diseases continue to jeopardize lives. During the Senate hearings, Kennedy claimed he was not anti-vaccine, but gave ambiguous answers on the topic.
Despite recent claims that he is not opposed to vaccines and just wants to ensure they are safe and effective, Kennedy’s track record shows the opposite, APHA warned. “He has demonstrated his anti-vaccine positions on numerous occasions and has often led efforts to undermine vaccine confidence both domestically and abroad,” the organization said.
Kennedy dubbed his and Trump’s health agenda “Make America Healthy Again,” but it remains, at best, unclear how this is to be achieved without a basic understanding of key health programs and a disregard for established public health data. As HHS secretary, Kennedy could play a key role in addressing issues such as high drug prices and the dominance of health insurance companies, yet these problems do not rank high on his list of priorities.
Instead, his focus is on chronic diseases. While this is indeed a major health problem in the US and globally, Kennedy’s approach fails to address the corporate interests driving, for example, unhealthy diets. He might talk about the power of Big Food and the effects of ultra-processed food on health, but he offered no clear strategy for regulation or systemic change. As Kennedy said himself, he is “not anti-industry.”
To wrap up his tour de force, Kennedy essentially equated the conversation on health with national security, echoing President Trump’s language when explaining his departure from the World Health Organization. Not only did Kennedy imply that not enough people are able to serve in the military due to obesity, but he also—quite enthusiastically—agreed with senatorial comments claiming that US health was at risk because too many essential medicines are imported from China. Such comments reflect a growing trend among right-wing and conservative circles to frame healthcare as a security issue, shifting discussions away from health as a human right.
Although Kennedy’s appointment is still pending, his testimonies have further galvanized opposition among health activists and workers. They warn that his mandate could undermine decades of progress in disease prevention and research. If the nomination is confirmed, the struggle for universal health care in the US may become more urgent than ever before.