U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, joined by a cohort of Massachusetts well being leaders, declared Tuesday he’ll vote in opposition to confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the following U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers secretary, saying People want a pacesetter who can deal with wide-ranging issues corresponding to medical debt, entry to care, the opioid epidemic and the psychological well being disaster.
“These issues demand a trusted, knowledgeable, certified chief. Robert Kennedy Jr. is just not that chief,” Markey stated throughout a press convention in downtown Boston, held virtually two weeks after Trump revealed his HHS choose and set off a wave of alarm nationally amongst public well being officers, who’ve decried Kennedy’s monitor document of spreading well being misinformation and his anti-vaccination rhetoric.
Markey added, “I’ll vote no on Robert Kennedy Jr.’s affirmation. And I hope that different members of the Senate, Democrats and Republicans alike, will even vote no in order that Donald Trump presents somebody who, the truth is, has the {qualifications} to run the well being care system of our nation.”
With out explicitly naming the president-elect’s extra well being care nominees, Markey stated he additionally intends to oppose different choices.
Requested whether or not sufficient Senate Republicans would be a part of an effort to dam Kennedy’s affirmation, Markey predicted that the U.S. Senate listening to course of will create an “uproar throughout the nation.”
“When it turns into very clear that Robert Kennedy doesn’t mirror the general public well being sentiments of common People, I believe that it might very effectively elicit opposition from particular person Republican senators, however that also stays to be seen as a result of the hearings have not occurred but,” Markey stated.
Broadly described as a vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has insisted he is not anti-vaccine, although he has questioned the security and efficacy of immunizations, the Related Press reported.
Ought to Kennedy find yourself main HHS, he is poised to concentrate on his “Make America Wholesome Once more” motion to deal with continual illness and childhood sickness, pursue extra research on vaccines, reassess federal vaccine suggestions, take away fluoride from public ingesting water, crack down on meals components, and enhance entry to uncooked milk, amongst different insurance policies, in keeping with The Washington Publish.
The Publish, in a current listing of Kennedy’s false claims, stated the nominee has linked vaccines to inflicting autism, tied antidepressants to mass shootings, steered AIDS might not be attributable to HIV, and referred to as the COVID vaccine the “deadliest vaccine ever made,” amongst different remarks.
Trump, who unveiled his Kennedy choice Nov. 14, wrote on social media that the “industrial meals complicated” and drug corporations have misled People for “too lengthy” about public well being.
“HHS will play an enormous position in serving to be certain that everyone can be protected against dangerous chemical substances, pollution, pesticides, pharmaceutical merchandise, and meals components which have contributed to the overwhelming Well being Disaster on this Nation,” Trump stated. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Companies to the traditions of Gold Customary Scientific Analysis, and beacons of Transparency, to finish the Persistent Illness epidemic, and to Make America Nice and Wholesome Once more!”
At Markey’s press convention, Mavis Nimoh, CEO of Tapestry Well being Methods in western Massachusetts, stated she’s anxious about modifications to federal funding for household planning and preventive well being companies.
“As a supplier of sexual reproductive well being care, we’re actually, actually involved as a result of there was a motion within the Republican Home to both weaken or intestine Title X funding,” Nimoh, whose group serves between 6,000 and eight,000 sufferers, stated. “If Title X funding went away, we’d critically be in jeopardy of shutting down our sexual reproductive well being clinics.”
Oami Amarasingham, deputy director of the Massachusetts Public Well being Alliance, referred to as vaccines “one of many best achievements of biomedical science and public well being.” Vaccination campaigns over the past century have “nearly eradicated” illnesses that have been beforehand widespread in america, corresponding to diphtheria, polio and smallpox, she stated.
“Whereas we’re bracing ourselves for what’s to return on the federal degree, we’re additionally working time beyond regulation to make sure that Massachusetts state and native public well being infrastructure is prepared for no matter comes,” stated Amarasingham, who praised the brand new financial improvement legislation for incorporating a coverage referred to as SAPHE 2.0.
The enhance to public well being infrastructure would require the Division of Public Well being to ascertain a set of baseline public well being requirements and supply ample sources for boards of well being on the native and regional ranges. Amarasingham stated these insurance policies imply Bay Staters “will be capable to entry primary public well being protections in each area of the state.”
Ellen MacInnis of the Massachusetts Nurses Affiliation, which represents greater than 25,000 nurses and well being care professionals, joined Markey to voice the group’s “sturdy opposition” to Kennedy.
“As nurses and well being care professionals, we now have a obligation and an moral duty to guard the general public well being and converse out in any occasion when the lives of our sufferers and the security of our communities are positioned in jeopardy, which is why we’re right here in the present day,” MacInnis stated.
The president-elect has signaled an curiosity in circumventing the Senate affirmation course of by counting on recess appointments, during which Trump might immediately fill Cupboard roles whereas the Senate is in recess. Markey stated he’ll combat Trump “each single step of the best way” ought to Trump use recess appointments, a apply the U.S. Supreme Courtroom restricted in 2014 to restrict presidential energy, the AP reported.
“I’ll combat any efforts to adjourn the Senate in any approach that does make recess appointments doable,” Markey stated. “We have now to utterly assure that the position that the Senate performs is protected. It was constructed into the Structure for a motive, and it’s to make sure that no president can act arbitrarily, dictatorially and circumvent the questioning of the Senate.”
