News

Kennedy, Who is Scheduled to Meet With 20 Senators Next Week, Is A Threat To Our Health and Unfit To Lead Health & Human Services

Anti-vaccination conspiracy theories have deadly consequences. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s nominee for the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has a long track-record of peddling dangerous conspiracies around public health – views he will have to answer for in meetings with Senators next week. The devastating events that followed his visit to Samoa in 2019 could be a preview of what’s to come with Kennedy at the reins of our nation’s public health care system. Samoan doctors and nurses directly link a devastating measles outbreak that killed 83 people, primarily infants and children, to the false information about vaccines Kennedy spread during his visit.

“The American people deserve a leader at HHS who believes in science, who believes in vaccines, and who is committed to lowering costs and protecting health care coverage,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Kennedy will not trust the science and the experts, but he will instead continue his campaign of pushing dangerous misinformation. Not only does Kennedy oppose lifesaving vaccines, but he has said that he ‘does not believe that infectious disease is an enormous threat to human health’ and pledged to stop funding research for treatments and cures. Kennedy will erode the public health institutions that keep Americans safe from infectious diseases and contaminated food, and he will put vital programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, at grave risk. The effects of Kennedy leading HHS would threaten every household in the nation.” 

But don’t just take our word for it:

Aiono Professor Alec Ekeroma, Samoa’s Director General of Health: “We cannot and should not stay silent. We know what this appointment means. It means more platforms for anti-vaxxers and less funding for vaccines and health programmes. It must be treated as a threat to our health security.” [The Guardian, 11/25/24]

Hawaii Governor and ER Doctor Josh Green: “As both a physician and Governor, I’ve seen the devastating effects of misinformation about vaccines. During a measles outbreak in Samoa, RFK Jr.’s rhetoric led to widespread fear, causing many to avoid vaccinations. Tragically, 83 innocent children lost their lives.”  [X, 11/15/24]

• “We were in Samoa… in the aftermath of RFK Jr. going through that country and discouraging its people, scaring them, from being vaccinated… 83 children had just died and over 5,000 cases of measles that we diagnosed had been spread through the country. It was a disaster and it was caused in large part by RFK Jr. He is a terrible pick for HHS secretary and if he does become our lead health official in the country, you’re going to see outbreaks like this in rural communities and cities across America.” [MSNBC, 12/1/24]

Moelagi Leilani Jackson, Samoan Nurse:  People who worked on the Samoan measles response told the Associated Press that the credibility RFK Jr. gave to anti-vaccine forces when he met with them had an impact. Moelagi Leilani Jackson, a Samoan nurse who worked on the vaccination campaign to stem the measles outbreak, said she remembered that after Kennedy’s visit, the anti-vaccine influencers “got louder.” “I feel like they felt they had the support of Kennedy. But I also think that Kennedy was very – well, he came in and he left and other people picked up the pieces.”

Pediatrician Paul Offitt, Member of a FDA Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia:  “In Samoa, there were two children that died immediately following receipt of a measles vaccine… Now, very quickly, within two weeks, it was realized what that mistake was. It was a nursing error. But, nonetheless, RFK Jr. seized on that. He flooded Facebook with information that the measles vaccine is killing children in Samoa. He went to Samoa. He met with anti-vaccine activists. He met with senior officials in Samoa and kept the drumbeat alive that the measles vaccine was killing children in Samoa. As a consequence, vaccination rates fell from 70 percent to 30 percent. And between September and December of 2019, there was a massive measles epidemic. In this island nation of 200,000 people, there were 57,000 cases of measles and 83 deaths. Most of those deaths were in children less than four years of age. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had everything to do with that. And that shows you how disinformation can kill.” [PBS NewsHour, 7/20/23]

Helen Petousis-Harris, Vaccinologist and Co-Director of the Global Vaccine Data Network: “The Samoan establishment handled the whole situation really badly and did not take the support and advice that was provided to them at the time, which is what allowed this to unravel and let RFK get in there. When you get people who are wealthy and influential going into a fragile setting, it’s like the top of the food chain visiting and meeting up with those who act as the megaphone. The impact was devastating.” [The Guardian, 11/25/24]

• The crisis of low vaccination rates and skepticism created an environment that was “ripe for the picking for someone like RFK to come in and assist with the promotion of those views.”  Petousis-Harris recalled that local and regional anti-vaccine activists took their cues from Kennedy, whom she said “sits at the top of the food chain as a disinformation source.” “They amplified the fear and mistrust, which resulted in the amplification of the epidemic and an increased number of children dying. Children were being brought for care too late.” [AP, 10/18/23]

Dr. Dan Holmes, Australian Physician: “Your day might start at 6am with a baby who is unconscious and not breathing, and you might lose that baby, then there’s another one, day after day. It’s impacted me more than anything I’ve done. It makes me feel so angry that it could have been prevented.” [The Guardian, 11/25/24]

Brian Deer, Journalist: “I was in Samoa during that outbreak as part of my more than 16 years of reporting on the anti-vaccine movement. The cause of the outbreak was not the vaccine, but most likely an infected traveler… Migration and poverty were likely factors in a sudden spread of measles in Samoa and New Zealand. But, as an editorial in The New Zealand Medical Journal reported, so too was a factor that Mr. Kennedy specializes in: ‘increasing circulation of misinformation leading to distrust and reduced vaccination uptake.’ Samoa’s vaccination rates had fallen to fewer than a third of eligible 1-year-olds. Vaccine skepticism has ballooned worldwide, and Mr. Kennedy and others who back him have encouraged it. Americans may be well aware that their possible future health leader holds dangerous beliefs about vaccines. The consequences of his views — and those of his orbit — are not merely absurd but tragic.” [The New York Times, 11/25/24]

Washington D.C. — As Congress continues to negotiate a health care package, new reporting indicates that Republicans have rejected Democrats’ proposal to extend the Inflation Reduction Act’s enhanced premium tax credits for one year. These tax credits, which lowered the cost of health care for millions of people purchasing coverage on their own, are set to expire at the end of 2025. If Congress fails to act, an estimated 5 million Americans would become uninsured and costs would skyrocket for millions more. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“It’s shameful Republicans are rejecting a commonsense proposal to protect affordable health care for millions of Americans. The folks relying on these tax credits include small business owners, people living in rural areas, farmers, people with pre-existing conditions, and older adults. Instead of fighting to keep costs low for middle-class families, Republicans are working overtime to dole out more tax breaks to their wealthy friends on Wall Street. If these tax credits do expire, Republicans will own this premium hike for middle-class families and the coverage losses for millions that come with it.”

Washington, D.C. — In an interview with NBC News, Donald Trump confirmed he is open to repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) once he’s back in office. He called the ACA “lousy health care” and repeated lies about his administration’s record, claiming he made the ACA “as good as we can make it.” In reality, the Trump administration sabotaged health care at every turn, costs skyrocketed, and millions lost their coverage. 

The news comes as Republicans are eyeing devastating Medicaid cuts to fund more tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. At the same time, Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is working behind the scenes to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. In response to Trump’s latest attacks on health care, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“We’ve been saying this all along: American health care is in grave danger under Donald Trump. He will stop at nothing to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act, which means health care for millions of families is in jeopardy. Trump’s lie that he made the ACA better is nothing short of preposterous. During his first term, he tried every trick possible to sabotage the ACA after repeal failed. Let’s be clear: repealing the ACA is not just about covering more than 40 million Americans, but it also means ripping away protections for people with pre-existing conditions, imposing an ‘age tax’ on older Americans, and putting big insurance companies back in charge.  

“This has always been personal for Trump — he wants to get back at John McCain and Barack Obama and other political enemies — but we know the Republican party will follow him to the bitter end. And they will not stop at the ACA. His allies are already looking to cut Medicare and Medicaid to fund tax breaks for their wealthy friends. The cat is out of the bag, and now we know Republicans have never given up on their war on health care.” 

If The Affordable Care Act Is Repealed:

• GONE: Protections for more than 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, including 54 million people with a pre-existing condition that would make them completely uninsurable.
• GONE: Medicaid expansion, which covers about 21 million people. 
• GONE: Quality, affordable coverage for over 21.4 million people who buy insurance on their own.
• GONE: Lower prescription drug prices for over 54.5 million seniors who would have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare ‘donut hole’ will be reopened.
• GONE: Critical funding for rural hospitals. 
• GONE: Lower costs and better care for more than 67 million people on Medicare who will face disruptions to their medical care.
• GONE: Coverage for 2.3 million adult children who are on their parents’ insurance.
• GONE: Ban on insurance companies being able to charge women more than men
• GONE: Ban on insurance companies having annual and lifetime caps on coverage.
• GONE: Requirements that insurance companies cover prescription drugs and maternity care.

Republicans Must Act Now To Stop Millions From Losing Health Care Coverage

Washington, DC – Democrats have sent a proposal to Republicans to include a one-year extension of the enhanced premium tax credits in a year-end bill. These tax credits, passed in the Inflation Reduction Act, lowered the cost of health care for millions of people purchasing coverage on their own but are set to expire at the end of 2025.

The Hill reported earlier this week Republicans had sent an offer as part of the steps towards a wider health care package. Today, Axios and the Washington Post reported Democrats’ counteroffer also includes extensions for expiring programs, such as community health center funding and telehealth for Medicare. According to actuarial firm, Oliver Wyman, 5 million Americans would become uninsured if the tax credits expired. Unless Congress acts now, costs will go up for millions of people, including small business owners, people living in high-cost rural areas, farmers, people with pre-existing conditions, older adults, and more.

In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the statement below:

“If Congress fails to act, premiums will skyrocket and millions will lose their health insurance. Health care will become out of reach for millions of Americans, leaving middle-class families to struggle and choose between seeing a doctor, keeping a roof over their heads, or groceries in the fridge. It is up to Republicans to come to the table and extend the Inflation Reduction Act’s enhanced premium tax credit so hardworking families don’t have to worry about going bankrupt over an injury or an illness. Democrats stand ready to extend the tax credits to ensure everyone has access to affordable health care. It’s time for Republicans to put the needs of working families ahead of the needs of Wall Street executives.”

Washington, DC – Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) sent a letter stating that if the enhanced premium tax credits are not extended, almost four million Americans will lose their health care and premiums will increase by up to 8% for millions more. These tax credits, passed in the Inflation Reduction Act, lowered the cost of health care for millions of people purchasing coverage on their own with working families saving an average of $2,400. As a result, a record-high of 21.4 million people enrolled in coverage in 2024. But Republicans want to raise costs on middle-class families while handing out tax breaks to the rich. Unless Congress acts now, costs will go up for millions of people, including small business owners, people living in high-cost rural areas, farmers, people with pre-existing conditions, older adults, and more. The letter was requested by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Representative Richard Neal (D-MA-01), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14).

In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the statement below:

“If Congress fails to act, health care will become out of reach for millions of Americans, leaving middle-class families to struggle and choose between seeing a doctor or keeping a roof over their heads or groceries in the fridge. Instead of helping hardworking families, Republicans have opposed measures to lower health care costs and have instead focused on delivering tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Health coverage gives people peace of mind knowing they won’t go bankrupt over an injury or illness. Democrats stand ready to extend the tax credits to ensure everyone has access to affordable health care. It’s time for Republicans to get on board.”

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Joins Broad Coalition Opposing RFK Jr.’s Nomination 

Washington D.C. — The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board came out against RFK Jr.’s nomination for HHS Secretary, calling him a “threat to American medical innovation.” RFK Jr. has said he’d fire over 600 people at the National Institutes of Health, putting medical innovations and cures at risk. As a historically unqualified nominee — with no meaningful leadership experience, let alone public health experience — RFK Jr. has received broad pushback from medical experts, scientists, and health officials for his conspiracy-driven views. 

“The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board is right,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “If RFK Jr. gets his way, every American will be put at risk. RFK Jr. wants to halt critical investments in treatments and cures for conditions like cancer, Parkinson’s, dementia, and more. Combined with his dangerous anti-vaccine views, his agenda is anti-innovation and threatens to bring back completely preventable illnesses from measles to polio. We need a steady leader regulating the entire U.S. health care sector, not a dangerous conspiracy theorist.”  

KEY POINTS

Trump “May Owe His Life To The Pharmaceutical Industry That RFK Jr. And His Allies Decry.” “When sick with Covid in 2020, Mr. Trump was treated with Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir—pulled off the shelf from past research on Ebola—and the experimental monoclonal antibody Regeneron. He dubbed the latter a “cure.” He may owe his life to the pharmaceutical industry that RFK Jr. and his allies decry.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/4/24] 

RFK Jr. Could Use His Regulatory Power At HHS To “Make It Harder For Medicines To Come To Market.” “The danger is that RFK Jr. would use his regulatory power at HHS to further discourage biopharmaceutical investment and undermine innovation. He says he wants to end alleged corruption between drug makers and government—by which he seems to mean curbing pharmaceutical profits by making it harder for medicines to come to market.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/4/24] 

RFK Jr. Opposes Vaccines That Are “Essential To Preventing Disease In Children And Adults.” “But vaccines are also essential to preventing disease in children and adults. Childhood vaccines have all but vanquished deadly infectious diseases in the U.S. HPV vaccines have greatly reduced cervical cancer. Scientists have discovered that latent viruses like Epstein-Barr can trigger auto-immune conditions and cancers later in life, so developing anti-virus vaccines can ward off debilitating diseases.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/4/24] 

Trial Lawyers And China Will Benefit From RFK Jr.’s Agenda – Not Patients. “Who will benefit from RFK Jr.’s agenda? The trial lawyers and China, which is seeking to surpass the U.S. in biotech including mRNA. If RFK Jr. were a Democratic nominee, GOP Senators would oppose him as a threat to public health. If they confirm him, they’d better hope they won’t need the cures that won’t be developed.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/4/24] 

Yesterday, former New York City mayor and public health leader Michael Bloomberg spoke at the Bloomberg American Health Summit, urging Senate Republicans to reject the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“RFK Jr. is not a public health official fit for office but, instead, an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who embraces fringe ideas and won’t follow the science or trust the experts. His proposals threaten to raise costs and jeopardize jobs across the nation. The American people deserve a leader at HHS who believes in science, who believes in vaccines, and who is committed to lowering costs and protecting health care for families. Michael Bloomberg is right – if RFK Jr. is confirmed, health care for millions is at risk.”

CNBC: Mike Bloomberg Warns Making RFK Jr. HHS Secretary Risks Killing Americans, Urges Senate To Reject Him. 

• “Bloomberg in Tuesday’s speech appealed directly to U.S. senators not to confirm RFK Jr. to the Cabinet role in the next Trump administration. ‘We can’t allow Kennedy or Trump or anyone else to bring unimaginable suffering to the American people,’ he said.”
• “And if the government starts to invest in ‘nutty conspiracy theories,’ then funding for researching cures for other diseases could be set back by years, Bloomberg argued. ‘It boggles the mind that the Senate would even consider giving Kennedy any power whatsoever over American health policy,’ he said.”

HuffPost: Michael Bloomberg Said Putting RFK Jr. In Charge of Vaccines Would Be ‘Medical Malpractice.’ 

• “Speaking Tuesday at the Bloomberg American Health Summit in Washington D.C., Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, said putting Kennedy in charge of the nation’s public health agencies would be ‘beyond dangerous’ and ‘medical malpractice on a mass scale.’”
• “Bloomberg said it is ‘beyond comprehension’ that Kennedy would be nominated with such a history, and said he ‘doesn’t care about evidence.’”

The New York Times: Bloomberg Says Kennedy Would Be ‘Beyond Dangerous’ as Health Secretary. 

• “Mr. Bloomberg also assailed Mr. Kennedy for discouraging measles vaccination during an outbreak in the island nation of Samoa, where 83 people died.  ‘Parents who have been swayed by vaccine skepticism love their children and want to protect them, and we need leaders who will help them do that,’ he said, ‘not conspiracy theorists who will scare them into decisions that will put their children at risk of disease.’” 
• “With experts warning of a possible bird flu outbreak in humans, Mr. Bloomberg said senators would face some hard questions: ‘With the nation facing a possible bird flu outbreak, are they really prepared to roll the dice on the lives of their constituents, by placing someone in charge of public health who has made it clear that he will prevent the approval of lifesaving vaccines?’”

The Hill: Bloomberg: RFK Jr. Would Be ‘Beyond Dangerous’ As HHS Head. 

• “Speaking during the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg American Health Summit in Washington, Bloomberg said he wanted Senate Republicans to convince President-elect Trump to ‘rethink’ Kennedy’s nomination. ‘If the president-elect doesn’t reconsider the nomination, the Senate has a duty to our whole country, but especially to our children, to vote no,’ Bloomberg said.”
• “Kennedy has a long history of vaccine skepticism, including spreading the false and discredited claim that the measles, mumps and rubella shot can cause autism. If he’s confirmed as Health and Human Services secretary, Kennedy would oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration, the agencies in charge of reviewing and approving new vaccines and recommending which shots people should get.”

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4 at 11:15 AM ET***

Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08) will join advocates and Protect Our Care Virginia to sound the alarm on Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. If RFK Jr. is confirmed, it will put Virginians’ lives at risk and jeopardize critical programs like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. RFK Jr. is deeply unqualified to serve in this position as he has no leadership qualifications in any role in public health or a government agency. Additionally, his fringe views on vaccines and his disregard of science and public health makes him a danger to the American people.

As HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. will push radical policies that will undermine decades of progress to lower health care costs, conduct research on life-saving cures for diseases, and keep Virginians healthy. Virginians deserve a leader at HHS who believes in science, the efficacy of vaccines, and who is committed to strengthening and expanding health care policies enacted since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Speakers will discuss how RFK Jr.’s leadership will affect nearly every Virginian, as he will prioritize his own interests and bolster MAGA efforts to increase health care costs by slashing Medicaid, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and banning Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices.

PRESS CALL

WHO: 
U.S. Representative Don Beyer (VA-08)
Mary Wright Baylor, Nurse Educator and Medical Reserve Corps Vaccinator
Pablo Moulden, Community Health Specialist
Laura Packard, Cancer Survivor
Katie Baker, State Director of Protect Our Care Virginia

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHEN: Wed. Dec. 4 at 11:15 AM ET

WHERE: Register for the virtual event here (Registration is required).

BACKGROUND
Washington Post: 10 RFK Jr. conspiracy theories and false claims, in his own words