RFK Jr. is now HHS -Secretary: what it means to you

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Welcome to Logoff. Today, I focus on the new secretary of health and human services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who will now run some of the government’s greatest agencies – and whose political decisions will affect health of any American. (Special thanks to Dylan Scott, who helped me wrap my head around this unconventional nominee.)

What is the latest? The Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Kennedy. All Democrats and both independent voted no, like Republican Mitch McConnell. The other 52 Republicans voted yes.

What will he be responsible for? Kennedy will supervise basically any place where the federal government affects health care or public health, including Medicare and Medicaid, Food and Drug Administration and Federal Hubs for Disease Research and Prevention (CDC and NIH). The FDA also supervises the approval of new vaccines.

What is kennedy’s attitude towards vaccines now? Kennedy has long voiced the lie that vaccines are causing autism. He was also publicly skeptical of the covide vaccines. Since his nomination, Kennedy has neglected this resistance, instead emphasized that he wants people to have a choice of vaccinations.

What else should I know about RFK Jr.? On some problems, such as food safety and nutrition, Kennedy’s criticism of the status quo repeats what many experts say: that our food system is prone to disease outbreaks and leaves us in poor health. But medical experts have sounds the alarm about his embrace of conspiracy theories – both on vaccines and elsewhere.

What do we not know yet? Will Kennedy go after vaccine development and approval, or keep pushing back on vaccine mandates? Does he want the sway within the administration, which includes many pro-business votes to go after the food system in the way he has promised? We will soon get some clues as Trump appoints Kennedy’s top deputies, but from today we are heading into the big unknown.

And with that, it’s time to log off …

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