- The Washington Times - Friday, November 15, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says if he’s confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services, he’s committed to making “Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth.”

Following President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Mr. Kennedy to lead HHS, the former Democrat turned independent said he plans to weed out corruption and renew the department’s focus on “evidence-based science.”

“I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth,” Mr. Kennedy posted Thursday on X.

“Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science,” he said. “I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families.”

Mr. Kennedy is the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.

His skepticism of vaccines, alternative views on health and support for Mr. Trump in the election made him a polarizing figure, including within his famous family.

Mr. Trump and the MAGA movement have welcomed him with open arms.

The president-elect rewarded his loyalty Thursday by announcing he wants him to lead the massive department that oversees Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“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!” Mr. Trump posted.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.

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