Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been chosen to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a huge role with a lot of responsibility. If he gets confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy will move from being an outsider to running a massive government agency with 80,000 employees. His job will cover everything from approving new drugs to handling food safety and responding to health crises like pandemics. But with his bold ideas about public health, it’s unclear how he’ll manage working inside the government’s big system.
One former official who worked in the Biden administration said, “He knows what he wants to do, but I’m not sure he fully understands what it’ll take to get it done.”
Vaccines
Kennedy’s stance on vaccines is controversial. He’s previously claimed that vaccines cause autism, a claim that has been debunked by science. While Kennedy and others he’s aligned with, like Marty Makary and Dave Weldon, have raised concerns about vaccine side effects, they also support the overall benefits of vaccines. If confirmed, Kennedy would help choose the experts who sit on key health panels that make decisions about vaccines. This could influence public health guidelines for years to come.
Some health experts believe the U.S. would keep moving forward with vaccines as one of the greatest public health achievements, but others worry that confusion could arise around vaccine safety and messaging from the government.
Food and Nutrition
When it comes to food safety, Kennedy has made it clear that he wants to push for healthier options, especially for children in school lunch programs. He’s also said he’d reduce the focus on infectious diseases like flu in favor of chronic illnesses. That has raised concerns, especially as bird flu cases are increasing. But Kennedy is also pushing for restrictions on food additives and processed foods, something he could influence at the FDA, which sets safety standards for these substances.
While some public health experts agree with his call to improve school lunches, others are more cautious. Kennedy is known for promoting some dangerous ideas, like drinking raw milk, which can lead to serious illness. This mix of facts and misinformation makes it tricky for experts to know which of his ideas are worth supporting.
Fighting Big Business
Kennedy has said he wants to take on the powerful lobbies that influence public health policy, but experts question whether he’ll be able to do that, especially given the Trump administration’s close ties to big businesses.
Abortion Access
Kennedy’s views on abortion are another point of difference from the Trump administration. He supports legal abortion up until fetal viability, meaning up until the point where the fetus can survive outside the womb. Some abortion rights advocates are hopeful that Kennedy could help prevent major restrictions on abortion, even if the Trump administration tries to make changes. For example, they expect changes in policies like the Pentagon covering abortion costs for service members who need to travel for an abortion.
Kennedy’s role at HHS could make it harder for people to access abortion services, like restricting health care providers who don’t want to perform abortions or making it harder for private insurance to cover the cost.
In the end, while Kennedy’s goals may sound bold and hopeful to some, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about how he’ll handle the reality of leading such a massive and complex government department.
