***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 11:30 AM ET***
If RFK Jr. is Appointed to Lead HHS, Mainers’ Health and Well-Being Will Be on the Line
AUGUSTA, MAINE – Today, Tuesday, January 14, health care experts and State Representatives will join Protect Our Care Maine to sound the alarm on Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. Speakers will discuss the danger he poses to Mainers’ health and the country’s health care system if he is confirmed. In the wake of his nomination, RFK Jr. has been on a whirlwind media tour attempting to persuade the public that he is up for the job despite his complete lack of qualifications. His lack of leadership in any role in public health or a government agency and radical views on vaccinations and health care make it clear that RFK Jr. is a threat to Mainers’ health and well-being, and he has absolutely no place leading America’s health care system.
As HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. would prioritize his own interests over the needs of the American people. Not only does he oppose lifesaving vaccinations, but he has also undermined the severity of infectious diseases and plans to gut funding from the FDA and NIH, which will halt progress of essential research on lifesaving drug and vaccine development. Working Maine families deserve access to affordable, high-quality health care and an HHS leader who trusts science and is committed to strengthening public health.
PRESS CONFERENCE
WHO:
Deborah Deatrick, MPH: Former Senior Vice President for Community Health, MaineHealth, 1997-2019 and former Director of the State Office of Dental Health, MDHHS, 1980-88
State Representative Dan Shagoury: Member of the Health and Human Services Committee
State Representative Anne Graham: Member of the Health and Human Services Committee and retired Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Toby McGrath, Maine State Director for Protect Our Care
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM ET
WHERE: Welcome Center, Maine State House, Augusta