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ROUND UP: Experts, Advocates From Across The Country Urge Republicans To Veto RFK Jr.

Recent news coverage and opinion pieces from across the country make clear that RFK Jr. and his radical agenda are dangerous for American health care. He doesn’t have the experience and skills to run major health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid that over 125 million Americans rely on for their health care. By opposing life-saving vaccines and pledging to stop funding research for cures and treatments, he will put the health of every American at risk. He embraces fringe ideas and promotes conspiracies, ignoring already settled science and experts. It was recently revealed RFK Jr.’s lawyer petitioned the FDA to revoke the polio vaccine. At his very core, RFK Jr. is anti-thetical to keeping Americans healthy. 

HEADLINES

The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Tries to Build Momentum for HHS Candidacy on Capitol Hill

  • Leslie Dach, founder of Protect Our Care, a left-leaning advocacy group fighting Kennedy’s selection for HHS, said he isn’t impressed by Kennedy’s early meetings with GOP senators. “He purposely picked the easy ones who will give him momentum,” Dach said. “The senators that matter, he hasn’t seen. … Just looking at public remarks, you can see enough votes to defeat him,” Dach said. “This is a fight we can win.”

The New Republic: RFK Jr.’s Cabinet Nomination Is Already Flopping

  • He’ll also have to convince lawmakers that his agenda, which opposes vaccine mandates for school-aged children and includes appointing someone who has filed a petition with the FDA to end the approval and “pause distribution” of 13 vaccines, isn’t at odds with the future of America’s health.

New York Times: What Kennedy Has Said About the Polio Vaccine in Recent Years

  • But a New York Times review of Mr. Kennedy’s public comments over the past several years shows that he has consistently expressed views about the polio vaccine that are at odds with the medical consensus. For example, he has suggested that after the vaccine was first introduced, it might have caused a wave of cancers “that killed many, many, many, many, many more people than polio ever did.” And he has said the idea that the vaccine resulted in a drastic decline in polio cases is “a mythology” that is “just not true.”

OPINION

Press Herald: Opinion: Why RFK Jr. Must Not Become HHS Secretary.
By Donna A. Gaffney, psychotherapist, and Teri Mills, retired adult nurse practitioner.

  • Despite his unfounded beliefs, Kennedy is out of step with the majority of Americans who know that vaccination is a crucial tool in controlling the spread of a virus and protecting public health. The Pew Research Center found in 2023 that 88% of Americans say the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) outweigh the risks, compared with just 10% who say the risks outweigh the benefits.

Los Angeles Times: Column: The Latest Evidence That Putting RFK Jr. In Charge of Public Health Would Be a Disaster.
By Robin Abcarian, LA Times Columnist. 

The Nation: RFK Jr. Is Giving Infectious Diseases a Promotional Tour
By Gregg Gonsalves, codirector of the Global Health Justice Partnership and associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.

  • RFK Jr. has bragged that he’d tell researchers at the National Institutes of Health to give “infectious disease a break for about eight years.” Well, he isn’t giving infectious disease a break but leading its promotional tour. If this man gets what he wants, old scourges will be back with a vengeance. And those years, like those of my father’s childhood, filled with the terror of deadly diseases, the suffering and upheaval of sickness and death visited upon families, the lingering effects down the generations, will be here again.

Greenfield Reporter: My Turn: Just Say No to Polio and RFK Jr.
By Roxann Wedegartner, former mayor of Greenfield, MA.

  • For me, the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services is one of the worst, because of, among other reasons, his stance on vaccinations — in particular, a petition to the FDA by Kennedy’s lawyer, Aaron Siri, to revoke approval of the polio vaccine.

Kansas City Star: Opinion: RFK Jr.’s Anti-vax Views Haven’t Changed Since He Spoke in Kansas Last Year
By Yvette Walker, The Kansas City Star’s opinion editor and leader of its editorial board.

  • It’s hard to say which Trump nominee will have the toughest battle for confirmation, because most of his choices are staggering. But I can say with confidence that Kennedy could do the most damage if he runs roughshod through the health policies and safeguards our country relies on. For example, CBS News reported that Trump planned to speak with him about ending childhood vaccine programs.

Los Angeles Times: Opinion: My Son Has Autism. His Life Tells a Story RFK Jr. Ignores
By Susan Hall, writer in Michigan. 

  • With his inaccurate stance that vaccines should be avoided to prevent autism, Kennedy suggests that chancing severe childhood diseases would be preferable to a life like my son’s. Diagnosed at age 1 with a rare seizure disorder that stalled his cognitive development, and later with intellectual disability and autism, my son today is a smart, charming 25-year-old with a great sense of humor. He’s exploding with independence and has cultivated passions of his own: lawn mowing and country music, to start with.

NJ.com: Opinion: RFK Jr. Is Here to Stuff Your Stocking
By Drew Sheneman, cartoonist. 

  • In the short time since he was named as Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to remove fluoride from the drinking water and announced his intention to repeal approval of the polio vaccine. Neither of these actions seem to to be conducive to health or humans, so maybe RFK Jr. and his brain worm aren’t the best choice to lead an agency devoted to the promotion and welfare of both.

NEW REPORT: Misinformation Kills: RFK Jr’s Deadly Visit To Samoa

Foreword by Hawaii Governor Josh Green

Read the Report Here.

Washington, D.C. — Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new national report with a foreword from Hawaii Governor Josh Green. The report details Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s role in the deadly measles outbreak in Samoa and the danger he poses to the health and well-being of millions of Americans if confirmed as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In 2019, RFK Jr. visited the island nation of Samoa to spread anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, which led to the deaths of 83 people, primarily infants and children. To this day, he refuses to take responsibility and continues to oppose lifesaving vaccines, saying he “does not believe that infectious disease is an enormous threat to human health.”

RFK Jr. is unqualified and holds dangerous anti-science and anti-vaccination policy positions, ready to put his personal interests ahead of the health and safety of the American people. Under his leadership, more people will get sick and die – especially children. 

“As a firsthand witness of the tragedy in Samoa, I am certain that the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be devastating for the health of the American people,” said Hawaii Governor Josh Green. “Vaccine misinformation is deadly, period. For years, Kennedy has fueled misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccinations and other public health measures that keep people safe. He is unfit to lead our nation’s health care system.”

“What RFK Jr. did to Samoa he will do to America. RFK Jr. poses a life-or-death threat to millions of Americans if confirmed as HHS Secretary,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “RFK Jr. has said that ‘no vaccine is safe and effective.’ His opposition to vaccines will lead to a resurgence of deadly childhood diseases like polio and measles. He supports defunding lifesaving research that is used to develop treatments and cures for diseases. RFK Jr. rejects proven science that keeps people healthy and if he is put in a position like HHS secretary, the damage would be catastrophic.”

Timeline of Events:

2018

  • Two children in Samoa died after receiving their MMR vaccine as a result of nurses improperly mixing the vaccines with a liquid muscle relaxant instead of water. The nurses were sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter.
  • RFK Jr’s Children’s Health Defense posted on Facebook questioning the safety of measles vaccines.
  • The World Health Organization estimated that in 2018, only 31 percent of infants in Samoa received the measles vaccine, a drop from 60 to 70 percent in previous years.
  • RFK Jr’s Children’s Health Defense never updated the public about the true cause of the babies’ deaths.

2019

  • While vaccination rates were dropping, Kennedy traveled to Samoa in June 2019, meeting with the Prime Minister and other government officials. The trip had been arranged by a prominent Samoan anti-vaccine activist, and paid for by Children’s Health Defense. RFK Jr. appeared with government officials and local anti-vaccine activists.
  • The measles outbreak began in September 2019.
  • A state of emergency was declared in November 2019, closing all schools, keeping children under 17 away from public events, and mandating vaccines.
  • The anti-vaccine activists with ties to Kennedy used misinformation and harsh rhetoric to oppose the government’s efforts in containing the outbreak.
  • By January 22, 2020, 5,707 measles cases and 83 measles-related deaths were reported. 87 percent of the reported deaths were children younger than 5 years.

FACT SHEET: Five Ways Republicans Are Planning To Gut Medicaid

The GOP war on Medicaid is alive and well. Republicans are targeting Medicaid for deep budget cuts as part of a reconciliation bill coming early next year in order to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Medicaid is an essential pillar of our health care system. It is the largest health insurance program in the country, providing health care to more than 70 million Americans — nearly a quarter of the country. Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states, and it is supported by 76 percent of Americans. It covers one in five Americans, including kids, moms, seniors, people of color, rural Americans, and people with disabilities. 

Five key ways Republicans could cut federal Medicaid funding and leave millions of Americans uninsured and unable to afford health care include: imposing lifetime caps on coverage, slashing the federal matching rate for traditional Medicaid and Medicaid expansion, implementing bureaucratic reporting requirements, block granting Medicaid, and introducing per capita caps. All of these policies mean that millions would lose their coverage, state budgets would be strained, and rural hospitals would be more likely to close. Every family knows someone who counts on Medicaid. If MAGA Republicans get their way, Medicaid will be decimated — taking health care away from hardworking families across the country all to pay for more tax breaks for the wealthy. 

By The Numbers

  • Republican threats to Medicaid put health care at risk for 72 million (21 percent) of Americans including:
  • Republicans will create at least a $50 billion hole in state Medicaid budgets to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. 
  • If Republicans decrease federal funding for people in the Medicaid expansion population, it would immediately rip health care away from over 4.2 million Americans across 12 states and jeopardize health care for about 21 million people.
  • Republicans threaten care for 18.5 million people on Medicaid by imposing lifetime caps.
  • Republicans could deny coverage to 36 million Americans through burdensome bureaucratic reporting requirements.

Five Ways The GOP Plans To Gut Medicaid

  1. The GOP Will Impose Lifetime Caps For People On Medicaid. Republicans want to enact the Project 2025 playbook by imposing lifetime caps for people on Medicaid. Proposals have suggested people remain eligible for just 36 months, potentially over their entire lifetime. If enacted, the Center For American Progress found that these caps would strip benefits from hardworking families and people with complex medical conditions, particularly in states that have not expanded Medicaid, endangering coverage for the 18.5 million people with Medicaid who qualify based on income alone.
  2. Republicans Want To Slash Federal Funding for Medicaid By Reducing the Amount of Federal Funding That Matches State Medicaid Funding. As part of their plans to slash spending, Republicans could achieve their longtime goal of eliminating federal funding for Medicaid expansion and decreasing funding for traditional Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act provided for states to expand Medicaid eligibility by offering matching federal funds as an incentive. Some recent proposals have suggested lowering the federal match rate to 90 percent or lower, which would create a $50 billion hole in state Medicaid budgets. Research shows Medicaid expansion improves people’s health, keeps hospitals open, increases families’ financial security, and saves lives – and, in turn, helps reduce racial and ethnic, rural, and other health disparities. As of 2024, 41 states (including DC) have expanded Medicaid under the ACA. However, 12 of these states – Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia, and Utah – have a trigger law, which means that health care will be at risk or immediately be ripped away from 4,291,000 people across the country if the GOP succeeds in gutting funding for Medicaid expansion.
  3. Republicans Want To Impose Burdensome Bureaucratic Reporting Requirements. Several recent Republican budget proposals have included plans to introduce bureaucratic work reporting requirements as a mandatory part of Medicaid enrollment and verification. By imposing work reporting requirements, Republicans are only seeking to cut Medicaid and kick millions of people off the rolls. Research shows that work reporting requirements cost states money and do not improve people’s ability to find work. In Georgia, a GOP alternative to Medicaid expansion emphasizing work requirements cost taxpayers $26 million, only provided coverage to 3,500 people, and resulted in consulting firms pocketing 90 percent of the funding. If Republicans succeed in implementing work reporting requirements, up to 21 million Americans could be denied Medicaid coverage.
  4. Republicans Want To Radically Restructure Medicaid Through Block Grants, Resulting In Deep Cuts. Another way MAGA Republicans want to radically restructure Medicaid is by changing it into five block grants. In March, the Republican Study Committee released a proposal to do just that. Block grants would shift costs to states and inevitably result in deep cuts to Medicaid programs by capping the amount of federal Medicaid funding states receive. As CBPP found in 2017, a block grant would force states to make deep cuts to their Medicaid programs to compensate for the federal funding cuts. Currently, the federal government pays between 50 percent and 77 percent of enrollees’ Medicaid costs, and more for certain high-value services. Republicans’ proposals to slash billions in federal funding from Medicaid would strain state budgets and leave tens of millions of people uninsured.
  5. Republicans Want To Introduce Per Capita Caps For Medicaid, Shifting Costs To States. Past Republican budget proposals have established a per capita cap for states on Medicaid enrollment. This type of spending cap imposes a restriction on the amount the federal government will contribute per capita to states’ Medicaid budgets. The proposals also increase the amount states must contribute to their Medicaid programs. In practice, per capita caps only increase costs for Medicaid beneficiaries – often in the form of higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs, all but ensuring that even if one qualifies for Medicaid, the services may not be affordable. It also means Medicaid would not have the flexibility to take on an influx of new patients during public health emergencies.

STATEMENT: Republicans Refuse to Extend Health Care Tax Credits in CR

Allowing the Inflation Reduction Act’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits to Expire Will Result in 5 Million Losing Insurance and Premium Hikes for 20 Million Americans

Washington D.C. — Yesterday, Congressional leaders released the text of their short-term spending bill. After weeks of negotiations, Republicans refused to extend the health care 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 Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“Republicans have made clear that they support premium hikes for 20 million Americans. They are more focused on delivering tax breaks to their wealthy friends than keeping health care affordable for their constituents. Republicans will force middle-class families to spend up to 90 percent more for their health insurance. As a result, health care costs will skyrocket for small business owners, people living in rural areas, farmers, people with pre-existing conditions, and older adults. If Republicans let these tax credits expire, the GOP will own this premium hike for middle-class families and the coverage losses for millions that come with it.” 

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Republicans Threaten Deep Cuts to Medicaid and Medicare

“Everything Is On The Table” As Republicans Enter The New Year With A Government Trifecta

Republicans have been eyeing key health programs like Medicare and Medicaid for budget cuts – and now they finally have the power to push them through. For over a decade, top Republican Senators like Rick Scott pushed infamous budget proposals proposing massive cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. Recognizing just how unpopular health care cuts are among the American people, they attempted to distance themselves from radical proposals like Project 2025, but they’ve been saying the quiet part out loud ever since Trump won the election. With a Republican trifecta in charge, “everything is on the table,” from a higher retirement age to new requirements for Medicaid to cut enrollment numbers. Republican Senators are looking for savings wherever they can to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Don’t just take our word for it:

  • Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA): “We’re Going To Look For Savings Wherever We Can, And That Might Include Health Issues.” On Dec. 16, Sen. Grassley told Axios, “I think we’re going to look for savings wherever we can, and that might include health issues. There’s hardly anything except Social Security and Medicare that can’t be on the table.”
  • Rep. James Comer (R-KY): “Everything Is On The Table.” On Dec. 12, House Oversight Committee Chair Comer told CNN, “Everything is on the table. Every big expenditure over the past four years is on the table. There’s money in the infrastructure bill. There’s money in Covid bills that haven’t been spent yet. We’re going to look at that. And then you look at improper payments — that’s a big issue — where the government sends money to people fraudulently in Medicare, in Medicaid, where they send money fraudulently in unemployment insurance.”
  • Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) Called For “A Strict Work Requirement Back In All Of Those Entitlement Programs.” During a Dec. 11 House Budget hearing on the U.S. fiscal crisis, Rep. McClintock asked, “Shouldn’t we put a strict work requirement back in all of those entitlement programs for able-bodied adults?” He added that members “need to do it now.”
  • Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO): “We Can Move The Retirement Age Back A Little Bit.” On Dec. 9, Rep. Alford told Fox Business, “We’ve got to right this ship and it’s gonna mean cuts. It’s gonna mean cuts to the 24 percent of the discretionary spending that we have. And it’s also going to mean looking long term at the front end of some programs like Social Security and Medicare – not taking anyone off of what they’ve paid into so far, but there is some waste, abuse, and fraud in Medicare that we can take those numbers back and add to our general coffers in our treasury. And on the front end of Social Security, I think there’s a way, when people are living longer and they’re tiring later, that on the front end we can move the retirement age back a little bit.”
  • Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): “I’m For Looking At The Entitlements.” On Dec. 6, Sen. Paul told Fox News “I’m for looking at the entitlements, the waste, everything because it’s such an enormous problem that if you put military off the table, you put entitlements off the table, all you have left is 16% of the budget. If you eliminate that, you don’t get anywhere close.” 
  • Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC): Elon and Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Are “Going To Put Everything On The Table.” On Dec. 5, Rep. Norman told Fox Business after meeting with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, “Nothing is sacrosanct. They’re going to put everything on the table” The Fox host reported, “That’s what they told lawmakers. Everything is on the table, and that includes Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.” 
  • Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI): “It Doesn’t Have To Be Just The Discretionary Spending. We Can Get At Some Of The Mandatory Spending Too.” On Dec. 5, Rep. Tiffany told Real America’s Voice, “We have to do something about the over-spending in Washington, DC and start to get responsible. And by the way, it doesn’t have to be just the discretionary spending. We can get at some of the mandatory spending also. Food stamps and some of those things, that’s mandatory spending. I think some of the benefits that are paid in regards to work requirements, some of that is under the heading of mandatory spending. We can deal with some of that too.” 
  • Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX): We Need A “Responsible And Reasonable Work Requirement For Medicaid.” On Nov. 20, Rep. Arrington – who leads the House Budget Committee – told reporters that he favored a “responsible and reasonable work requirement” for Medicaid. 
  • Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): “Block Grants Make A Lot Of Sense.” On Nov. 20, Senator Cornyn said of Medicaid, “We ought to look at whether we’re doing it the right way.” He said he supported “block grants,” in which states get lump sums, regardless of how many people sign up for the program. “We can’t just keep doing things the way we’ve been doing them,” Cornyn said. “I’m not advocating for Social Security or Medicare in the absence of a bipartisan consensus because we know that will be a futile effort. There’s a lot of other spending we should consider … We ought to look at whether we’re doing [Medicaid] the right way. Block grants make a lot of sense.”
  • Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) Supported A Per Capita Cap On Medicaid. On Nov. 20, Rep. Guthrie told Axios he is interested in reviving a proposal from the 2017 Affordable Care Act repeal bill that would cap Medicaid spending on each enrollee, known as a “per capita cap” or allotment. “We offered Medicaid reform in reconciliation in the repeal-and-replace package, and it was per capita allotments, which didn’t cut Medicaid but it does limit the growth,” Guthrie said. “I do think it has to be discussed as part of the package [next year],” Guthrie said, adding that he hadn’t yet discussed the idea with leadership.
  • Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) Said Congress Should Consider Block Granting Medicaid. On Nov. 14, Rep. Murphy, a member of the GOP Doctors Caucus who sits on the Ways and Means Committee, reportedly told Politico that Congress needs to consider block grants for Medicaid.

Republican Reconciliation Bill Threatens Health Care For Millions With Drastic Medicaid Cuts

“Everything Is on the Table,” as Republicans in Congress Narrow in on Slashing Health Care for the Most Vulnerable.

Washington, D.C – New reporting indicates that Republicans are targeting Medicaid for deep budget cuts in order to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. As a result, millions would lose coverage, including children, new moms, seniors, and people with disabilities. These cuts would come as part of a reconciliation bill early next year. 

The news follows a new letter from more than 30 patient advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the American Heart Association, calling on Congress to reject any cuts to Medicaid. The letter states: “Any efforts to cut Medicaid, including through restructuring Medicaid’s current financing, Making other federal funding cuts that shift costs to states, reducing eligibility or benefits, or adding barriers to coverage, would severely harm the people we represent and must be rejected.” In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“The GOP war on Medicaid is alive and well as Republicans have made clear that massive Medicaid cuts are a top priority for 2025. Once again, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are more concerned about taking care of their wealthy friends like Elon Musk than protecting the health care of millions of Americans. By prioritizing the wealth of the ultra-rich and big corporations, millions of Americans will have their health care ripped away. Families will lose the care they need to stay healthy, seniors will struggle to age with dignity and control their financial future, and millions of kids will be left behind. These cuts will throw our entire health care system into chaos.”

NEW: Protect Our Care Announces Mobile Billboard As Part of Week of Action to Stop RFK Jr.

Protect Our Care Launches Mobile Billboard in Washington D.C.

Watch the Mobile Billboard Here.

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, December 17, a mobile billboard will circle Capitol Hill, calling on senators to oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This week, Protect Our Care’s “Stop RFK War Room” is running a multi-media campaign to educate people on why RFK Jr. is unfit for the job and the insurmountable damage he could do if confirmed. Yesterday, the “Stop RFK War Room” released 18 billboards in seven states as well as paid digital ads that will continue to run in key states and Washington, D.C. The campaign comes as RFK Jr. is set to meet with at least 20 Republicans as part of the confirmation process. 

The “Stop RFK War Room” is focusing its events and activities on the following Senators: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Jim Justice (R-WV).

“We are working to make sure everyone on Capital Hill understands the catastrophic consequences of this nomination that will touch nearly every household in the nation.” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “RFK Jr.’s focus will be pushing radical policies that put millions at risk. He believes no vaccine is safe or effective and has pledged to stop funding research for treatments and cures to deadly diseases. His beliefs could lead to a deadly resurgence of preventable childhood illnesses like polio and measles. RFK Jr. won’t follow the science or trust the experts – he embraces fringe ideas and promotes conspiracies. That’s the last thing we need in charge of America’s health care.”

Mobile Billboard Script:

Narrator: Robert F Kennedy Jr. is no health care leader. He’s a threat to your family’s health. RFK Jr. spreads deadly lies about vaccines, calling them unsafe and ineffective. His conspiracy theories fueled a measles outbreak in Samoa, killing 83 people, mostly babies and toddlers.

CNN Clip: RFK went and rallied that country against vaccinations. It resulted in the deaths of 83 innocent children. 

Narrator: Now he’s been nominated to oversee America’s health care system – Medicare, Medicaid, vaccines, research. The health of every American is at stake. 

RFK Jr.: There’s no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective. 

Narrator: He’d defund life-saving research and drug development, gut the FDA, let diseases like polio and measles resurge. This isn’t leadership. It’s a death sentence. Tell your Senators: reject RFK Jr. He’s not just unfit, he’s dangerous.

SHOT/CHASER: RFK Jr. Lies Through His Teeth to Cover His Disastrous Vaccine Record While Visiting Capitol Hill

RFK Jr. Has Said He Believes “There’s No Vaccine That Is Safe and Effective”

SHOT: RFK Jr. Claims He’s “All For The Polio Vaccine” After Decades Of Work Undermining Vaccine Access. “RFK Jr., Trump’s pick for HHS, arrives at Capitol Hill to meet with Senators and gain their support. As he made his way to Sen. Rick Scott’s office he was asked about the polio vaccine and he mumbled ‘I’m all for the polio vaccine.’” [Cristina Corujo (CBS News), X, 12/16/24]

CHASER: RFK Jr. Spread Conspiracy Theories That The Polio Vaccine “Cause[d] More Death Than It Avert[ed].” During a July 2023 interview with Lex Fridman, when asked about the polio vaccine, Kennedy launched into a conspiracy-laden tirade: “Well, here’s the problem. Here’s the problem. Yeah, here’s the problem. The polio vaccine contained a virus called simian virus 40. SV40. It’s one of the most carcinogenic materials that is known to man. In fact, it’s used now by scientists around the world to induce tumors and rats and Guinea pigs in labs. But it was in that vaccine, 98 million people who got that vaccine. And my generation got it. And now you’ve had this explosion of soft tissue cancers in our generation that killed many, many, many more people than polio ever did. […] If you say to me, ‘Did it cause more death than it averted?’ I would say, ‘I don’t know, because we don’t have the data on that.” Kennedy’s organization, Children’s Health Defense, also spread false reports calling into question the safety and necessity of polio vaccinations during a 2022 resurgence in the virus.

LIME: RFK Jr.’s Lawyer Petitioned the FDA To Revoke The Polio Vaccine. “The concerns have amped up in recent days following a report that an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a citizen petition in 2022 to revoke the approval of polio vaccines for infants and children. Attorney Aaron Siri has also joined Kennedy in questioning and choosing candidates for top health positions, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed source who witnessed the interactions.” [Axios, 12/16/24]

ROUNDUP: Republicans, Experts, Americans Are Increasingly Concerned with RFK’s Dangerous Views on Vaccines

Republican senators have increasingly raised concerns about the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his dangerous views over lifesaving vaccine programs. RFK Jr. has said “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and he helped fuel a devastating measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, mostly infants and children. Donald Trump recently said he would discuss ending childhood vaccination programs with RFK Jr. Additionally, one of RFK Jr.’s top transition team advisors openly called for the FDA to revoke the polio vaccine’s approval. More and more Republicans are becoming concerned about the dire ramifications of an RFK Jr.-led HHS, including top Republican leadership.

What Republican Senators Are Saying: 

  • Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued a warning to Robert F. Kennedy saying, “Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts [revoking the polio vaccine’s approval]… Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous.” [CBS News, 12/13/24]
  • Senator Mike Rounds said in an interview, “Look, I believe in vaccines. I think they’ve saved millions of lives… If he has a different point of view, then he’ll have to explain them to us.” [The Washington Post, 11/20/24]
  • Senator John Cornyn stated it clearly when asked about his concerns with RFK Jr.’s vaccine stances, “I realize Covid got to be pretty controversial, but vaccinations are an important part of our public health, starting with the requirement that kids get vaccinations before they go to school.” [Politico, 12/10/24]
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski told the Independent explicitly, “I happen to believe particularly childhood vaccines are something really important… As a parent, I want to make sure that I protect my kids from measles or mumps or rubella or whatever it is…” [The Independent, 11/23/24]
  • A former top staffer told Axios that Senator Bill Cassidy is “balancing what’s good for his reelection against his health care expertise, including what Kennedy would do if there is another pandemic… When asked if he thought the 2026 race would impact how Cassidy approaches Kennedy, [Mitt] Romney said, ‘I don’t think in his case, no.’” [Axios, 12/6/24]
  • Senator Roger Marshall, an OB/GYN, chose not to answer a question on whether RFK Jr.’s promotion of health misinformation would affect his support for the HHS nominee, instead saying, “I think it’s a long answer, and I’m late for a meeting, so I’m not going to give you an answer.” [The Independent, 11/23/24]

What Health Experts Are Saying

  • A group of 77 Nobel laureates signed a letter urging Congress to reject RFK Jr. stating, “The leader of [HHS] should continue to nurture and improve – not threaten – these highly respected institutions and their employees… placing Mr Kennedy in charge of [HHS] would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in health sciences, in both public and commercial sectors.” [The Guardian, 12/10/24]
  • James Hodge, a public health law expert at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, put RFK Jr.’s potential reign over HHS succinctly in an interview stating, “The litany of things that will start to topple is profound… We’re going to experience a seminal change in vaccine law and policy.” [North Carolina Health News, 12/14/24]
  • The executive director of the American Public Health Association, Georges Benjamin, has warned that RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine will harm children the most saying, “The reason we think Mr. Kennedy is the wrong guy for the Secretary of Health and Human Services is we do not think that somebody who has been the source of so much death and disability amongst the nation’s children should have any seed of prominence in the health world.” [The Hill, 12/14/24]
  • Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned that a Kennedy-run HHS disincentivizing or creating barriers to vaccine access “will cost lives in this country… For every 1,000 cases of measles that occur in children, there will be one death.” [Reuters, 12/12/24]

What Republican’s Constituents Are Saying

  • Brent Sherard, the former director of the Wyoming Department of Health and a constituent of John Barrasso expressed his frustration with any support for RFK in a letter to the editor stating, “In a recent political ad, Dr. Barrasso proudly claims to be “Wyoming’s Doctor.” If he truly holds that title, why would he support someone like RFK Jr., who has consistently spread misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines… The stakes are too high to endorse someone who could potentially undermine our entire vaccination program.” [Cowboy State Daily, 11/26/24]
  • George Bishop Jr. lives in Louisiana and is represented by two Republican Senators. He writes about the RFK Jr. nomination, “RFK Jr. has no experience or expertise in health care, medicine or public policy, but he does have opinions not tied to real data. His appointment reflects Trump’s lack of concern for the American people, who he repeatedly told that the COVID virus would just go away. It hasn’t, and a key reason is low vaccination rates by people who listen to RFK Jr. and Donald Trump.” [New Orleans Advocate, 12/16/24]

NEW: Protect Our Care Launches Multi-Media Campaign to Urge Key Senators to Protect Americans’ Health and Reject RFK Jr.’s Nomination for HHS Secretary

Watch the New Digital Ad Here.

Washington, D.C. – On Monday, December 16, 2024, Protect Our Care’s “Stop RFK War Room” is launching a multi-media campaign across key states to call on senators to oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The campaign features paid ads and 18 billboards in seven states on Monday as RFK Jr. is set to meet with at least 20 Republican senators as part of the confirmation process. Throughout the week, Protect Our Care will be releasing new research and polling in addition to hosting events with advocates and experts to highlight RFK Jr.’s danger to the American people. 

The “Stop RFK War Room” is focusing its events and activities on the following senators: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Jim Justice (R-WV).

“America’s health is in deep peril if RFK Jr. is confirmed,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “If RFK Jr. gets his way, every American will be put at risk. He believes no vaccine is safe or effective and wants to decimate funding for research into treatments and cures His beliefs could lead to a deadly resurgence of preventable childhood illnesses like polio and measles. RFK Jr. doesn’t have the experience and skills to run major health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid that over 125 million Americans rely on for their health care. We’re working to make sure every senator understands the catastrophic consequences of this nomination that will touch nearly every household in the nation.”

Ad Script:

Narrator: Robert F Kennedy Jr. is no health care leader. He’s a threat to your family’s health. RFK Jr. spreads deadly lies about vaccines, calling them unsafe and ineffective. His conspiracy theories fueled a measles outbreak in Samoa, killing 83 people, mostly babies and toddlers.

CNN Clip: RFK went and rallied that country against vaccinations. It resulted in the deaths of 83 innocent children. 

Narrator: Now he’s been nominated to oversee America’s health care system – Medicare, Medicaid, vaccines, research. The health of every American is at stake. 

RFK Jr.: There’s no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective. 

Narrator: He’d defund life-saving research and drug development, gut the FDA, let diseases like polio and measles resurge. This isn’t leadership. It’s a death sentence. Tell your Senators: reject RFK Jr. He’s not just unfit, he’s dangerous.

Billboards:

The billboards will appear in:

Boise, ID
Baton Rouge, LA
New Orleans, LA
Charlotte, NC
Greensboro, NC
Sioux Falls, SD
Rapid City, SD
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Huntington, WV