Public health leader: RFK Jr. 'fails on all fronts' as potential agency leader

A leading public health organization is sounding the alarm over Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) said Kennedy “fails on all fronts” as a candidate to lead the nation’s top health agency.

“We urge President-elect Trump to select a qualified health leader that is properly trained and has the management skills to be the nation’s top health official,” APHA President Georges Benjamin said.

Kennedy is an environmental lawyer with no formal health or medical degree, or experience running a government agency or large business. He is a longtime vaccine skeptic who has shown deep distrust of pharmaceutical companies and the agencies overseeing them.

If confirmed, he will take over a sprawling agency with a budget of nearly $2 trillion. It has 13 subagencies that are responsible for administering federal health programs including Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

The APHA has a history of working closely with top federal officials in both Republican and Democrat administrations, including members of the first Trump administration.

“Unfortunately, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has demonstrated a consistent lack of willingness to listen, learn and act in the best interest of the health of the American people,” Benjamin said.

He noted that outside of his lack of experience, Kennedy’s views on vaccines alone should disqualify him as a potential agency leader.

Kennedy founded a prominent anti-vaccine group, has said "there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has touted misinformation claiming that vaccines cause autism.

Vaccines have been around for centuries, and modern vaccines have for decades protected hundreds of millions of Americans against diseases such as measles, rubella, polio, meningitis and even the flu. Public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reams of results from clinical studies and real-world data showing vaccines are safe and effective.

“The American people deserve better than Mr. Kennedy. We need an HHS secretary under the Trump administration who will listen to science, not discredit it,” Benjamin said.

Public health experts have said there are institutional guardrails in place at federal agencies that would prevent some of the most radical changes from happening, such as pulling vaccines off the market.

Even if Kennedy himself isn’t actively involved in making vaccine policy, his presence as a key insider can shape public perception, and he would have a bully pulpit to continue questioning vaccine science.