Controversy surrounds RFK Jr., President-elect Trump’s choice for HHS
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tapped to head Health and Human Services. RFK Jr’.s controversial views on health have sparked criticism.
President-elect Donald Trump placed a key campaign figure in the coming cabinet Thursday, nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his next Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy spent the majority of the 2024 campaign as an independent candidate but dropped out and endorsed Trump. He became a de-facto advisor on public health after joining the campaign, spinning off the catch phrase “Make America Healthy Again” from Trump’s trademark slogan.
The choice was met with derision by lawmakers and public health advocates, with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., calling Kennedy “a fringe conspiracy theorist.”
On Thursday, Trump also named Todd Blanche, a lawyer who represented him aggressively in his New York hush money trial, to serve as deputy attorney general, Jay Clayton, former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during his first term as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to be his secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in administration that is quickly becoming a coterie of loyalists.
RFK Jr., vaccine skeptic, named Secretary of Health and Human Services
Kennedy has a reputation for being critical of vaccines and questioning the origin of the COVID-19 virus. He is perhaps best known for spreading unfounded claims about a link between childhood vaccines and autism.
In 2019, Kennedy amplified anti-vaccine sentiment in Samoa in a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children and infants, according to the Associated Press.
“They (Kennedy and other anti-vaccine advocates) amplified the fear and mistrust, which resulted in the amplification of the epidemic and an increased number of children dying. Children were being brought for care too late,” Helen Petousis-Harris, a vaccinologist from New Zealand who worked on measles vaccination efforts in Samoa, told the wire service in 2023.
Kennedy has also proposed the removal of fluoride from drinking water. The chemical has been added to U.S. water since 1945 to help prevent tooth decay and is one of the most common ways to prevent cavities. However, drinking water is also regulated at the local level, which could limit Kennedy’s influence.
In July 2023, Kennedy sparked backlash after saying there is an “argument” that COVID-19 was “ethnically targeted.” He claimed COVID-19 is “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people” while sparing Ashkenazi Jewish people and Chinese people, which is not true.
Trump has previously said he would allow Kennedy to “go wild on health.”
Trump’s announcement is an indication that he intends to nominate Kennedy for Senate approval, however Trump has floated the demand that Republican Senate leadership allow for recess appointments as an end-around of the confirmation process.
Trump’s Cabinet picks so far: What we know
- Chief of Staff: Trump named his senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, the first woman in history to hold the title. The Florida political consultant largely stays out of the spotlight, but has been credited with helping Trump’s political comeback.
- Attorney General: Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has been nominated as the next Attorney General overseeing the Justice Department, that he has long criticized.
- Secretary of State: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is nominated as the next Secretary of State. He will bring foreign policy experience through his roles in the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Cuban-American, he is set to be the first Latino person to be Secretary of State.
- Director of National Intelligence: Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is nominated as the director of national intelligence. The former Democratic presidential candidate-turned Republican represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013-2021.
- Deputy chief of staff for policy: Long-standing Trump adviser Stephen Miller has been tapped for deputy chief of staff for policy in Trump’s next administration. The 39-year-old served as senior adviser to Trump and director of speechwriting during the Republican’s first term in the White House and is credited with shaping Trump’s immigration policies.
- Ambassador to the United Nations: Trump nominated Elise Stefanik, a five-term Republican representing a northern New York district, as his pick for UN ambassador. She is the House Republican Conference Chair and a former contender for Trump’s running mate.
- ‘Border czar’: Trump has appointed Tom Homan to oversee deportation policy and aviation security. Homan was a Border Patrol agent for 34 years and served in Trump’s first administration as acting ICE director. He drew controversy for strict immigration enforcement, including the “zero-tolerance” policy which separated families of undocumented immigrants.
- EPA head: Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin as the administrator of The U.S. Environmental Protective Agency (EPA). Zeldin was a Congressman for parts of Long Island, New York and ran but lost against Kathy Hochul in the 2022 gubernatorial race.
- National security adviser: Trump has named Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser. Waltz has held civilian positions at the Pentagon, was on the House Armed Services Committee and has supported Trump’s isolationist view of foreign relations.
- U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump announced he is nominating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as his U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a Baptist minister and former Fox News host, who has run for the Republican presidential nomination twice, unsuccessfully. His daughter is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first presidency.
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: Trump designated his former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as CIA director. Ratcliffe previously was a House member from Texas before serving as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first presidency.
- Secretary of Defense: Trump nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth to Defense secretary. A Fox News commentator, Hegseth served in the U.S. Army National Guard and had led veteran’s advocacy groups.
- Secretary of Homeland Security: Trump announced his choice of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. The pick puts the hardline conservative governor, who sent the state’s National Guard to the southern border, in a key role on immigration.
- White House Counsel: Trump tapped William McGinley to serve as his White House counsel. McGinley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm Holtzman Vogel, worked as White House Cabinet secretary during Trump’s first presidency.
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Trump named Doug Collins to be his secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Collins, a former congressman from 2013 to 2021 and trusted Trump loyalist, is a chaplain of the United States Air Force Reserve Command.
What are the Cabinet positions?
The Cabinet advises the president on issues related to their respective offices.
These are the Cabinet positions from the 15 executive departments, which must be confirmed by the Senate:
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of Defense
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Labor
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Secretary of Transportation
- Secretary of Energy
- Secretary of Education
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Secretary of Treasury
The Cabinet and presidential advisers also include the vice president, the chief of staff, the ambassador to the United Nations, the director of National Intelligence, the U.S. trade representative, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, the head of the Council of Economic Advisors, the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the head of the Small Business Administration.
Contributing: Karen Weintraub, Alyssa Goldberg, Tom Vanden Brook, David Jackson, Savannah Kuchar, Victor Hagan, Bart Jansen, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Riley Beggin, Michael Collins, Joey Garrison; Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer.