Bringing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on board as Secretary for Health and Human Services, whose appointment Senator Cory Booker may endorse, could prove exceedingly detrimental. It should not be dismissed as simply a difference of opinion with occasional agreement on a minor commonality, such as distaste towards high fructose corn syrup. Kennedy is grossly unfit for the role, and his appointment could imperil the nation’s wellbeing. It would be misguided of Senator Booker to support Kennedy’s appointment simply due to their shared aversion to government-funded unhealthy food.
Indeed, while unhealthy food policies have resulted in an obesity and chronic disease crisis, acknowledging this issue doesn’t render Kennedy the solution. His knack for promoting internet conspiracy theories alone marks him as a decidedly dangerous choice for leading a position that is responsible for areas including medical research, and food safety. Former Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, a fellow opponent of unhealthy food, has also expressed grave concerns, labeling Kennedy’s potential appointment as Health Secretary as exceedingly perilous and equivalent to causing nationwide medical negligence.
Despite Senator Booker’s slight change of stance, having penned an article criticising Kennedy and Trump’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative just a day before the election, he presently appears to be ill at ease with the criticism. His rallying cry against the unhealthy food industry, ‘I’m ready for a food fight,’ appears to challenge Trump’s administration.
In this context, Senator Bernie Sanders, the Senate health committee head, strongly advocates for challenging the junk food industry. Jon Stewart, a notable television host, has also mentioned his disapproval of the medical industry’s reciprocal antagonism towards even the slightest association with RFK Jr. So, he wonders, why can’t there be open discourse about this?
Certainly, the discussion is imperative. However, it’s prudent to consider whether Kennedy could actualise meaningful change, particularly with an administration headed by Trump himself, who seems to favor fast food. At a time when the industry employing Trump’s supporters and donors produces the very products he enjoys, the likelihood of a substantial crackdown seems slim.
The hypothetical scenario wherein Kennedy makes even the slightest dent, against all odds, does not serve as justification for his confirmation. There exists no justifiable reason for Kennedy to helm a federal agency worth nearly $2 trillion and responsible for managing countless public health projects. His severe lack of qualification would undeniably result in greater harm than good.
This is evident enough from his stance on potential health outbreaks such as bird flu. Not only is the disease dreadfully worry-inducing, but it has also been discovered in the raw milk of affected bovines, a recommendation of Kennedy’s. Promoting the consumption of raw milk, oblivious to the apparent risk of disease, is utterly reckless.
Broadly, Kennedy’s concepts point towards a concerning vision, one that includes cessation of scientific research aimed at thwarting future global pandemics. Governmental research was instrumental in the prompt production of COVID vaccines, which saved numerous lives. Halting such research, as RFK suggests, could result in a dangerous time-lag during future health crises.
Kennedy’s radical ideas further extend to wanting to eliminate hundreds of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the organization vital for vaccine development and groundbreaking research. To replace these experts with his own selected crew, as he proposes, could prove disastrous.
Moreover, his vocal opposition to vaccines can have dire consequences. Kennedy, despite having vaccinated his own children, is infamous for propagating theories that have incited preventable disease outbreaks, impacting and at times, leading to the death of other individuals’ children. After his instigation in 2019, Samoa experienced a detrimental measles outbreak.
Such a track record is deeply alarming, and given the extensive power of the potential role, the damage Kennedy could cause as Secretary is unthinkable. In recent times, he was recorded saying ‘There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective,’ a declaration which, if amplified by his office’s influence, could instigate new disease outbreaks and disrupt FDA approvals for essential vaccines.
In addition, such a standing can potentially hinder the insurance coverage and obligatory vaccination for schoolchildren, such as the reliable measles-mumps-rubella vaccine that numerous cohorts of anti-vaxxers target. The loss of such protective measures could negatively impact public health on a massive scale.
Kennedy’s appointment could provide him with an alarmingly expansive platform to disseminate his flawed theories globally. These include discrediting the proven fact that H.I.V. leads to AIDS, the assertion that the COVID-19 vaccine is the most lethal ever produced, the baseless claim that certain ethnicities are immune to the virus, among others.
We urgently appeal to you, Senator Booker, to reconsider this decision. Endorsing Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s appointment for Secretary for Health and Human Services could lead to disastrous consequences for public health.