RFK for HHS gets its own thread
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
More importantly though he didn’t learn from it. He still thinks we shouldn’t give the measles vaccine to babies.
Maybe @Aqua-Letifer needs to ask him what is the acceptable number of child deaths for him to change his mind? I vote 25.
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The Scarf Speaks
Dr. Deborah Birx, former White House Coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday she is "excited" for the data on key health issues that will surface in Senate confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's controversial pick for Health and Human secretary who has spread false information on vaccines and autism.
"I'm actually excited that in a Senate hearing he would bring forward his data and the questions that come from the senators would bring forth their data," Birx said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "What I know for sure is he's a very smart man who can bring his data and his evidence base forward, and we can have a discussion that many Americans believe already is a problem."
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday in a social media post that he'll nominate Kennedy to oversee the Health and Human Services Department, which encompasses multiple agencies and has a $1 trillion budget. The position has to be approved by the Senate, which, come January, will be controlled by Republicans, which could make the nomination process easier but is not a guarantee.
"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," Trump wrote in a social media post last week. He said Americans have been "crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation" about public health, and Kennedy would "Make America Great and Healthy Again!"
At an October rally, Trump promised to let Kennedy "go wild" on health issues.
Kennedy has criticized vaccines extensively in the past, including spreading misleading claims about their safety. He has also pledged to tackle an "epidemic" of chronic diseases and believes that large drug and food companies are to blame for a broad swath of ailments. Kennedy argues that a number of health issues in the U.S. have worsened, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, infertility rates, diabetes and obesity, which he blames on federal inaction.
Kennedy has insisted that he is not "anti-vaccine" and has pledged not to ban vaccines under the Trump administration. Kennedy instead promises to "restore the transparency" around vaccine safety data and records that he accuses HHS officials of hiding. This data is expected to be addressed in upcoming confirmation hearings in Congress, a dialogue that Birx said she believes Americans will benefit from learning more about the differing perspectives on concerns surrounding vaccines.
"So until we can have that transparency and that open discussion from both sides, I know the members have incredible staffers who will bring great questions from their constituents, and that hearing would be a way for Americans to really see the data that you're talking about," Birx said on Sunday.
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I should have known this, as they are one of two committees of jurisdiction for our bill. But this was welcome news to me.
Kennedy’s nomination is set to run through the Senate Finance Committee early next year, which is slated to be led by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
I know Mike’s brother Jim. He’s a pulmonologist that works with us and with the COPD Foundation, which our founder also started. He gets it. Senator Crapo is a traditional conservative. Mormon. Wants to do the right thing.
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To put it more bluntly, Jim Crapo’s career has been largely dedicated to the COPDGene study, funded by the NHLBI, a division of the NIH.
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He and Ed Silverman at the Brigham (another friend of our foundation) are the Co-PIs for the program. 25+ medical centers are involved.
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
Senator Crapo is a traditional conservative. Mormon.
Mormons generally have been far less likely to abandon their long-held principles to support Trump. Contrast that with, say, Evangelicals.
They may still vote for him, but with no small amount of despair and maybe even an ounce of self loathing.
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FYI they pronounce it ‘Cray-po’ not ‘Crap-o’
DON’T let them eat cake.
- RFK Jr -
Me too. Glad someone told me before I met Jim.
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