Ocasio-Cortez: RFK Jr. would take US back to '1700s, 1800s'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized President-elect Trump's decision to tap environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), claiming it will set the U.S. back more than 200 years.

“You have a baby, and anywhere in the world, I mean, protecting against polio, against measles, against very serious communicable diseases that, I mean, we would be talking about going back to the, what, the 1700s, 1800s,” Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday during an interview on MSNBC's “The ReidOut.”

“I mean, this is serious. But on top of that, if you're a Republican that voted for Donald Trump and you believe in his agenda, something that is broadly popular among Republicans and Democrats are community health centers,” she told host Joy Reid. “If you live in a rural area and there's not a hospital very close to you but there is a community center closer to you, it could be decimated under Robert F. Kennedy.”

The progressive House lawmaker’s remarks came just hours after Trump announced Kennedy as his pick to head the department with 13 agencies and a nearly $2 billion budget.

“Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again” Trump said in his announcement Thursday.

The position requires a Senate confirmation which could be a tough lift considering that some Democrats in the upper chamber have denounced the choice along with public health officials, as Kennedy has been considered a fierce critic of vaccines. Still, Trump has signaled that the confirmation process could be circumvented with recess appointments.

Appropriations Committee chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Kennedy’s confirmation “would be nothing short of a disaster for the health of millions of families."

She continued, "I urge my Senate Republican colleagues to join me in forcefully condemning and opposing this catastrophic nomination."

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on the other hand said Kennedy has “championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure.”

“I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda,” he added.

Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that Kennedy’s potential ascension to the top of HHS could cause “potential decimation of community health centers, which is devastating.”

“And we are talking about people who live in rural communities. We're talking about people who live in underserved communities that have been neglected, in order to, whether it's to get a shot or just to get checked up on,” she continued. “We're talking about the potential decimation of community health centers, which is devastating.”

Kennedy, who initially ran for the White House as a Democrat before switching to an independent, suspended his presidential bid in August and endorsed Trump. He later supported him on the campaign trail as a surrogate.

He has vowed to be an “honest public servant” if he is ultimately confirmed to lead HHS next year.

“Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science,” Kennedy said Thursday.

The Hill has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment.