Washington D.C. – One year ago today, Senate Republicans, including Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), checked their ‘concerns’ at the door and bent the knee to Donald Trump by voting to confirm notorious anti-vax charlatan Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Trump’s powerful Health and Human Services Director. Protect Our Care president Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement marking the milestone:
“RFK Jr. has only made America sicker with an aggressive anti-science, conspiracy-driven agenda — and the raging measles outbreak now impacting 20 states is proof positive of that. Vaccination rates are down and cases of preventable disease like measles are at historic highs. That must be the desired result of the years-long fear campaign that RFK Jr. and many unqualified officials he recruited in the administration have waged against vaccines, no matter how many studies have proven their safety and efficacy. Kennedy was confirmed on a lie that he would not turn his discredited anti-vax views into harmful policy, then wasted no time gutting grants that support vaccine innovation, silencing health experts, decimating our public health infrastructure, packing advisory boards with anti-vax quacks, and putting lives at risk by downgrading the CDC’s child vaccine schedule.
“RFK Jr. made a fortune off frivolous anti-vax lawsuits and has abused his power at HHS to help keep that money rolling in for his family and allies. RFK Jr. has made himself public health enemy #1, and the Senators who foolishly gave him that power knowing exactly who he is will have this cloud hanging over their heads the rest of their careers. With daily tragic reminders of what it means to have a health secretary who holds contempt for peer-reviewed science, there’s no washing this stink out.
“RFK Jr. and Donald Trump have also taken a wrecking ball to American health care. RFK Jr. is currently overseeing the fallout after Trump and Republicans slashed over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the largest health care cuts in history, ripping away health care from over 15 million Americans, driving premium costs through the roof, shuttering hospitals and clinics across the country, and more.”
KEY RESOURCES:
- REPORT: Year One of RFK Jr., Public Health Enemy #1
- FACT SHEET: One Year of RFK Jr. and Donald Trump Taking A Wrecking Ball to Health Care
- VIDEO: One Year of RFK Jr: Leading Lawmakers, Public Health Experts Reflect On Trump Health Secretary’s Harmful First Year
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