Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in because the nation’s high well being official Thursday within the Oval Workplace, finishing an unbelievable arc for the anti-vaccine activist and one-time Democratic presidential candidate.
President Trump welcomed Kennedy, praising him for bringing a various coalition of help with him when he dropped his presidential bid to affix forces with the president.
“He really worked very hard, and he had tremendous support, unbelievable support. And I think a lot of that support came my way when we decided to do a merger,” Trump mentioned. “And it was really great. And it was very loyal, very loyal, incredible people.”
Trump then signed an govt order establishing a brand new fee to “Make America Healthy Again” with Kennedy because the chair. The fee will examine the reason for the decades-long enhance in childhood persistent sickness, Trump mentioned.
“He’s completely dedicated to getting harmful chemical compounds out of the environment and out of our meals provide, and getting the American individuals the info and the solutions that we deserve after years during which our public well being system has squandered the belief of our residents,” Trump mentioned.
Kennedy was sworn in by Supreme Court docket Justice Neil Gorsuch. He was joined within the Oval Workplace by his spouse, Cheryl Hines, and different relations, together with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.), Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
Marshall is the founding father of the Senate’s Make America Wholesome Once more caucus.
Kennedy vowed to implement an aggressive agenda centered on “radical transparency” and “ending the corruption” of well being businesses.
“Our plans are radical transparency and returning gold standard science [to] NIH, the FDA and CDC, and ending the corruption, ending the corporate capture [of] those agencies, getting rid of the people on those panels that have conflicts of interest,” Kennedy mentioned. “We can do unadorned and unimpeded science rather than the kind of product that is coming out of those agencies.”
The Division of Well being and Human Companies oversees 13 separate businesses, and Kennedy has lengthy argued they’re in determined want of reform.
Final yr, he promised to fireside 600 workers on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, the nation’s largest funder of biomedical analysis.
In a publish on X in October, forward of the election, Kennedy vowed a shakeup of the “corrupt” Meals and Drug Administration.
“If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags,” he wrote.
Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate by a 52-48 vote earlier Thursday following months of debate about his {qualifications}. Kennedy’s affirmation served as a major check of the Republican Social gathering’s loyalty to President Trump.
The founding father of one of many nation’s most outstanding anti-vaccine teams will now run the nation’s vaccine coverage, which is only one a part of the practically $2 trillion federal well being portfolio.
Solely Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) forged a GOP vote towards Kennedy’s affirmation, after beforehand bucking his celebration on Trump’s Protection secretary and nationwide intelligence director.
Kennedy on Thursday once more denied he was anti-vaccine, solely pro-safety.
“Vaccines should be tested, they should be safe. Everybody should have informed consent,” Kennedy mentioned.
