That was the question posed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services secretary, in blistering Senate confirmation hearings just last week. The hearing’s spotlight was squarely placed on vaccine mandates. These answers led to quite the line of aggressive questions from the Republican senators on the hearing. In an otherwise stormy atmosphere, Kennedy staunchly doubled down on his hot button position on vaccines and managing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Kennedy’s trolling of the vaccine establishment has earned him, as you might imagine, criticism from all directions. This backlash is most keenly directed at his comments regarding the CDC. He painted the agency as “corrupt,” claiming its leaders “failed to do their job” throughout the Covid pandemic. This assertion has sparked outrage among health officials and former CDC directors, including Rochelle Walensky, who previously held the director position.
The condemnations of Kennedy go beyond mere political rivalry. Nine former CDC directors have publicly denounced his tactics. They maintain that his appointment of new panel members has derailed impacts to public health. Some of these members are obviously anti-vaccine. This is a big deal that Walensky, perhaps the most high-profile opponent of Kennedy’s, highlighted. She said his direction has “eroded the trust and credibility” of the CDC by further propagating falsehoods.
“All of that used to be consistent with the CDC’s websites,” – Rochelle Walensky
“Now it’s no longer. And the thing that has changed is not the societies. It’s what’s being posted on the CDC by our vaccine skeptics.” – Rochelle Walensky
Surely the most braggadocious display came from optics kingpin John F. He would argue they’ve done more than any health secretary before them to combat chronic disease and promote health nationwide. He stood firm, insisting that their dedication to evidence-based science is still strong.
“That commitment to evidence-based science is why, in just seven months, he and the HHS team have accomplished more than any health secretary in history in the fight to end the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again.” – No direct quote from a specific person mentioned in the context.
Even if you take these claims at face value, skepticism abounds as to his methods and motivations. Walensky pointed to external medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), asserting their vital role in providing accurate vaccine information.
“What I will also say is that our medical societies — AAP, ACOG, the Infectious Disease Society of America, AMA — are putting out information,” – Rochelle Walensky
Against this landscape of state-level criticism, Kennedy’s position looks more and more untenable. His extremely controversial views on vaccines have caused him to lose the goodwill of most of the public health community. The truth is that nine former CDC directors have publicly expressed outrage over his leadership, which muddies his position further.
Unfortunately, Kennedy has been facing criticism ever since. In response, he admitted his scant government experience and compared it to the cause of his outcome.
“Maybe my then-paucity of government experience was my Achilles heel. I will call it my North Star,” – Rochelle Walensky
Markey was not shy in his outrage over what Kennedy was saying, calling it a deceptive statement.
“It’s lie after lie after lie from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” – Sen. Edward Markey
By the time the hearing ended, though, most attendees could agree that public trust in vaccine information has become dangerously splintered. As Walensky crystallized this feeling, this has transcended politics, as evidenced by the fact that 92% of parents still choose to vaccinate their kids.
“In today’s divided America, there’s actually one consensus that remains: 92% of parents still vaccinate their children. Surely we can all agree we don’t want our children to die,” – Rochelle Walensky
