Kennedy to become Health Secretary

Donald Trump has kept his promise to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Yesterday he announced that Kennedy would become Secretary of Health and Human Services in the second Trump administration. This might not seem a significant appointment, given that Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. saw Secretaries of Health – and Presidents, and even Directors of the National Institutes of Health – come and go, and did whatever he pleased in his long tenure as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. But in fact the Health Secretary is as close to a Health Czar as the federal government has. Even better, it is a Senate-confirmed department headship. Whoever holds that post has authority to make a lasting difference to Americans’ health – if he can use it.

Kennedy shocks everyone

Christina Laila of The Gateway Pundit broke the news in an obviously celebratory way. She cited Politico.com, who themselves quoted a leaker who still hasn’t blown his cover. But obviously the best confirmation comes from Trump himself:

I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health. The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country. Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!

Philip Wegmann at RealClearPolitics chronicled the lack of anticipation of the decision, and the shock and surprise that greeted it. Shortly before the election, Howard Lutnick, co-chair of the Trump transition committee, denied that Kennedy would get “a job for HHS.” But he did.

Pharmaceutical stocks stumbled. Democrats on Capitol Hill were aghast. Republicans were mostly silent. Asked for reaction, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, whom Republicans elected to serve as Senate majority leader in the next Congress, told reporters, “I don’t have one at this point.”

The legacy media gasped, and seemed to shuffle on their stages in a collective daze. Van Jones spoke of termites released onto the pillars of society. A former White House health policy adviser was at a loss for words. How could this happen? How could someone who questions the very notion of vaccines take charge of the country’s health establishment? Oh, the humanity! Cue the meat wagons rolling down the main street, bullhorns blaring “Bring out your dead!”

Actually, the world’s pharmaceutical companies likely anticipated this appointment, even if their investors didn’t. The day after the election, the CEOs of the five largest drug companies held an emergency teleconference. New Jersey Assemblyman Jamal Holley, a friend of Kennedy, boasted about that.

Sources tell me top five CEOs of pharmaceutical companies are holding an emergency teleconference at 1 PM. A lawyer has confirmed that everyone is in a state of panic!

Sources tell me top five CEOs of pharmaceutical companies are holding an emergency teleconference at 1 PM.

A lawyer has confirmed that everyone is in a state of panic!— Jamel Holley (@jamelholley) November 6, 2024

And likely for good reason. Even before the election, Kennedy was announcing a sweeping change:

On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump want to Make America Healthy Again. [Mentions Michael P. Connett, lead counsel for plaintiffs in Food and Water Watch v. EPA, and links to this Highwire video in which Mr. Connett describes flouride’s harms.]

On October 4 ,an Obama appointed Federal Judge held against EPA after reviewing thousands of scientific studies and weeks of expert testimony ruling that the agency had improperly approved this dangerous neurotoxin.

On October 4 ,an Obama appointed Federal Judge held against EPA after reviewing thousands of scientific studies and weeks of expert testimony ruling that the agency had improperly approved this dangerous neurotoxin. https://t.co/vww2VHyWa5— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) November 3, 2024

What kind of change is forthcoming?

The day after the election, Kennedy said, in an MSNBC interview, that he would see to three objectives:

President Trump has asked me to do three things:

1. Clean up the corruption in our government health agencies.

2. Return those agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science.

3. Make America Healthy Again by ending the chronic disease epidemic. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

President Trump has asked me to do three things:
1. Clean up the corruption in our government health agencies.
2. Return those agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science.
3. Make America Healthy Again by ending the chronic disease epidemic. pic.twitter.com/WHMOsD0CiI— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) November 6, 2024

In fact the Department of Health and Human Services oversees – and budgets for – almost every agency that affects human health. These agencies fall under the Public Health Service, which also hosts the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, under the Surgeon General. The list includes:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Indian Health Service (IHS)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
• Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)

The Department also includes these agencies not under the Public Health Service:

• Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• Administration for Community Living (ACL)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Now the full scope of Kennedy’s authority becomes apparent. The NIH, the CDC, and the FDA especially are the source for most government medical direction in America. The “corporate capture” of which Trump and Kennedy have both spoken, involves the FDA more than any other agency.

Limits to his authority

Such would be Kennedy’s direct authority. But that might not give him full authority over everything that affects human health. The depletion of farm soils, and the slow poisoning due to pesticides, is a matter for the Department of Agriculture. But as a fellow Secretary, Kennedy would sit in on meetings and could directly reach the Secretary of Agriculture. A few words in his ear might go a long way. He would also have the ear of the President – and considering their new-found friendship, that counts for a lot.

Constitutionalist Darrell L. Castle thought highly enough of Kennedy to endorse his independent Presidential candidacy last year. The “brief” of the Secretary of Health and Human Services covers almost everything he sought to affect, and gives him a powerful voice to affect the rest. If half the leftist voices squawking about his appointment would think a little more carefully, they might welcome it. They might even begin to welcome it, after the first day passes with no direct-to-patient drug advertising on radio, television, or video platforms.

Beyond that, the limits of his effectiveness could depend strictly on his imagination. Makers of herbal remedies, and traditional diet advocates, might want to start drafting “white papers” to send him. That could be the means of the most important and salutary change he could make.