Trump chooses Robert F. Kennedy as Secretary of Health, controversial for his opinions on vaccines

Kennedy ran for president in this year’s election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a position in the Republican’s administration.

“He’s going to help make America healthy again,” Trump said in his victory speech on Nov. 6. “He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him do it,” he added.

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health, and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programs, which provide coverage medical for low-income people, people over 65 years of age and disabled.

With their tens of millions of enrollees, Medicaid and Medicare made the HHS budget $3.09 trillion in fiscal year 2024, representing 22.8% of the US federal budget.

Controversial opinions on vaccines

Kennedy has been criticized for making false medical claims, including that vaccines are linked to autism. He opposed state and federal restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and was accused of spreading misinformation about the virus.

He rejects the “anti-vaccine” label, saying he wants more rigorous testing of vaccines. However, he chaired Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that focuses on anti-vaccine messages.

In an interview in March, while he was still a presidential candidate, Kennedy said Americans who want a vaccine for themselves or their children would still have access to them if he were elected. However, he said he doubted the effectiveness of measles vaccines.

Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost completely preventable by vaccination. It requires 95% coverage to prevent outbreaks in the population. However, coverage rates in the U.S. have fallen below that level among young children, the CDC reported this month.