A new national coalition of health professionals and scientists, mobilizing to oppose Senate confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the United States’ next health secretary, released a public letter Monday warning that his “unfounded, fringe beliefs could significantly undermine public health practices across the country and around the world.”
The coalition, calling itself “Defend Public Health,” includes faculty members from some of the United States’ leading academic institutions, including public health schools at Yale and Harvard. Its leaders said they had gathered 700 signatures on the public letter and had generated 3,500 individual letters urging senators to reject Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Mr. Kennedy is unqualified to lead the nation’s health department with a budget of over $1.6 trillion and over 80,000 employees,” the public letter states. “He has little to no relevant administrative, policy or health experience or expertise that would prepare him to oversee the work of critical public health agencies.”
Over the past several weeks, Kennedy has made the rounds on Capitol Hill, paying courtesy calls to senators who will consider his nomination. His confirmation is not assured, with some Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chair of the Senate Health Committee, having said that Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism gives them pause.
The letter published Monday is only the latest public push by Kennedy opponents. A separate group, the Committee to Protect Health Care, said last week that it had gathered more than 15,000 signatures on a letter opposing Kennedy.
But Kennedy allies in the medical field are also mobilizing.