President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department likely will spark a blockbuster Senate confirmation fight.
Health and food industry lobbyists took a mostly muted initial response as they began to grapple with a pick that could lead to disruption in the sectors. Democratic senators are likely to oppose the nomination and many Republicans are still weighing the surprise selection.
Trump had said, during the campaign, that he would give Kennedy leeway to make good on his “Make America Healthy Again” slogan, but industry groups still did not expect the incoming president to pick the one-time Democrat and leading vaccine skeptic to head HHS.
Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty whose views on vaccines and support for Trump alienated members of his family, became a visible campaigner for the GOP presidential ticket. Kennedy initially was mounting an independent White House bid, but suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a statement she would forcefully oppose the nomination of “a notorious anti-vaxxer” and called the pick “cause for deep concern for every American.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is poised to serve as the next chair of the HELP panel, wouldn’t say whether he would support Kennedy. However, he noted that there was bipartisan consensus for some of Kennedy’s stances against additives in foods.
“RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,” Cassidy said in a statement following the news of the nomination. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.”
Both Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), moderates on the HELP panel who have shown some willingness to buck Trump, have declined to weigh in on their potential support.
One flash point could be Kennedy’s outspoken opposition to vaccines.
“I personally believe in the vaccination programs that we’ve got,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said Wednesday. “We’ve saved millions of lives, and I would be very hesitant to see the vaccine programs go away.”
Some of the more conservative senators welcome the anti-vaccine stance.
“No voice has been probably more clear and strong on this than Robert Kennedy,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a senior member of HELP and a doctor. “I’m glad he has influence, and I hope he will have a lot of influence.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who sits on the HELP panel, said in an interview Tuesday he’s “big” on Kennedy’s anti-vax stances, saying, “it’s ridiculous how many vaccines our kids are having to take.”
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who’s poised to chair the Finance Committee that will consider the nomination, noted in a statement on X that Kennedy has “prioritized addressing chronic diseases through consumer choice and healthy lifestyle.”
Trump Selects Vaccine-Skeptic Kennedy for Health Secretary
Industry Wary
Many health and food industry lobbyists said they are still assessing the pick.
“This is certainly an unconventional choice that has caught K Street by surprise,” said Democratic lobbyist Andy Rosenberg, a founder of Thorn Run Partners where clients include AARP, National Home Infusion Association, and MedStar Health.
A spokesperson for the American Hospital Association said in an emailed statement that the group “has congratulated President-elect Trump and looks forward to working with his Administration on our priorities as he continues to assemble his cabinet.”
“We want to work with the Trump administration to further strengthen our innovation ecosystem and improve health care for patients,” PhRMA President and CEO Stephen Ubl said in a Thursday statement , which didn’t mention Kennedy by name.
“This will require a comprehensive strategy that includes focusing more on prevention and early intervention; promoting health and wellness; and developing new treatments and cures,” Ubl said. PhRMA is the drug industry’s main lobbying group.
Other health care and food industry groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s announcement to nominate Kennedy.
Trump, in announcing his intent to nominate Kennedy, attacked the sectors. “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump wrote on social media.
Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog organization, called on senators to reject the pick.
The group’s co-president, Lisa Gilbert, called Kennedy a “science-denying, morally-bankrupt conspiracy theorist who will endanger people’s lives if placed in a position of authority over health.”
On Nov. 11, Michael Bloomberg, the majority owner of Bloomberg Government’s parent company, published an opinion column critical of appointing Kennedy to a role in the Trump administration. RFK Jr. Is Too Dangerous for Government: Michael Bloomberg
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