policy

A brand new national coalition of health experts and scientists protesting the Senate's confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the following United States Secretary of Health and Human Services released a public letter Monday warning that his “unfounded fringe beliefs are damaging the general public could seriously endanger health.” Practices across the country and around the globe.”

The coalition, called Defend Public Health, includes faculty members from among the top academic institutions within the United States, including public health schools at Yale and Harvard. Its leaders said they collected and generated 700 signatures for the general public letter 3,500 individual letters He calls on senators to reject Kennedy and President-elect Donald Trump's decision to steer the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Mr. Kennedy is unqualified to lead the nation's Department of Health and Human Services, with a budget of over $1.6 trillion and over 80,000 employees,” the general public letter said. “He has little to no relevant administrative authority. , policy or health experience or expertise that might prepare him to oversee the work of key public health agencies.”

In recent weeks, Kennedy made the rounds on Capitol HillPay courtesy calls on senators who will consider his nomination. His confirmation just isn’t certain as some Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, have said so Kennedy's vaccine skepticism gives them a break.

The letter released Monday is just the most recent public push by Kennedy opponents. A separate groupthe Committee to Protect Healthcare, announced last week that it had collected greater than 15,000 signatures a letter against Kennedy.

But Kennedy allies within the medical field are also mobilizing. In December, not long after Trump announced his nomination, a gaggle of 800 medical professionals published his own letter in support of Kennedy. It said his nomination represented “an unprecedented opportunity to restore the health of our nation and renew trust in our public health institutions.”