A brand new nationwide coalition of well being professionals and scientists, mobilizing to oppose Senate affirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the USA’ subsequent well being secretary, launched a public letter on Monday warning that his “unfounded, fringe beliefs might considerably undermine public well being practices throughout the nation and all over the world.”
The coalition, calling itself “Defend Public Well being,” contains college members from a number of the U.S.’s main tutorial establishments, together with public well being colleges at Yale and Havard. Its leaders stated they’d gathered 700 signatures on the general public letter and had generated 3,500 particular person letters urging senators to reject Mr. Kennedy, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selection to guide the Division of Well being and Human Companies.
“Mr. Kennedy is unqualified to guide the nation’s well being division with a funds of over $1.6 trillion and over 80,000 staff,” the general public letter states. “He has little to no related administrative, coverage or well being expertise or experience that might put together him to supervise the work of vital public well being companies.”
Over the previous a number of weeks, Mr. Kennedy has made the rounds on Capitol Hill, paying courtesy calls to senators who will take into account his nomination. His affirmation will not be assured, with some Republicans, together with Senator Invoice Cassidy of Louisiana, chairman of the Senate Well being Committee, having stated that Mr. Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism offers them pause.
The letter printed on Monday is barely the most recent public push by Kennedy opponents. A separate group, the Committee to Shield Well being Care, stated final week that it had gathered greater than 15,000 signatures on a letter opposing Mr. Kennedy.
However Kennedy allies within the medical area are additionally mobilizing. In December, not lengthy after Mr. Trump introduced his nomination, a gaggle of 800 medical professionals launched its personal letter supporting Mr. Kennedy. It stated his nomination “represents an unparalleled probability to revive our nation’s well being and renew belief in our public well being establishments.”
