RFK Jr. Goes Swamp Swimming Again: Public Health Project Newsletter

Even with stiff competition in the Trump Cabinet, health secretary Kennedy continues to stand out as one of the administration’s most shameless swamp creatures.

This week, RFK Jr.’s FDA went out its way to “allow Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed as less harmful to human health than cigarettes”, handing a lucrative win to tobacco giant Philip Morris that Donald Trump just so happens to have up to $1.64 million worth of personal stock holdings in. The move sets up many American teens for a lifetime of addiction and potential heart problems, but at least Trump and his big tabacco megadonors will be all the richer for it.

Kennedy also packed a key FDA committee that recommends whether to ‘allow compounding pharmacies to manufacture certain peptides’ with a majority of sketchy people “involved with businesses that promote and prescribe peptides.” The health secretary has been all-in on peptide approval despite their unproven benefits and ‘potential cancer risks,’ likely because he has so many wealthy friends in the wild supplement industry that stand to get richer off the government’s seal of approval.

If it wasn’t already clear: for RFK Jr., it’s less about making Americans healthier and more about making grifty special interests a lot of money.

After Raging At Reporter Over Detailed Accounting of Absentee Leadership, RFK Jr. Quietly Agrees to Visit HHS Divisions For First Time In Months. Per NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg: “RFK Jr will start visiting HHS divisions (FDA, CDC etc) to meet with face to face with employees, per internal email. I recently reported that he visited CDC just once, after last year’s shooting. “We want to hear your voice,” his chief counselor says.”

That temper tantrum Kennedy threw denying his phoned-in leadership looks pretty silly now.

After Casting a Deciding Vote for RFK Jr and Losing His Primary Anyway, GOP Sen. Cassidy Finds the Courage to Finally Warn Americans: On Face The Nation, Sen. Bill Cassidy “strongly criticized” Secretary Kennedy over his vaccine skepticism: “If you build public health upon a foundation of lies, then you’re going to have the absence of adequate public health.” Very true and very predictable. If only Cassidy had put public health above political expedience and stopped it when he had the chance.

Stay Safe Out There, Because Trump Removed The Safeguards: As CBS News reports, beachgoers have reason to worry this July 4th weekend: “Researchers this spring discovered flesh-eating bacteria in water in several coastal locations.” Unfortunately, “The Trump administration has cut investments in programs and agencies that prevent, track, and respond to health hazards the federal government is now confronting.”

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