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Trump selects vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced he had selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services, the sprawling agency responsible for administering millions of Americans’ health insurance, approving drugs and medical supplies, regulating food and responding to infectious-disease outbreaks.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump wrote in a post on X.

Public health experts have warned that Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist who endorsed Trump in August in exchange for a role in his future administration, could undermine vaccine oversight if he takes charge of the nation’s health department.

Kennedy has vowed to pursue his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which targets causes of chronic disease and childhood illness. He has also said he wants to replace career officials at several of the health department’s agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, because he believes the agencies have been too sympathetic to private industry. He also recently said the Trump administration would push to get fluoride out of drinking water.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/14/trump-administration-transition/#link-EMTDTQKNB5GTBFV4VA5HLTHEJM