A brand new nationwide coalition of well being professionals and scientists, mobilized to oppose the Senate affirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the following United States Secretary of Well being, has launched a public letter Monday, warning that his “fringe and unfounded beliefs might considerably hurt public well being practices throughout the nation and around the globe.”
The coalition, known as “Defending Public Well being,” consists of college members from a few of America’s main tutorial establishments, together with the Yale and Harvard faculties of public well being. Its leaders stated they collected 700 signatures on the general public letter and generated 3,500 individual letters urging senators to reject President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selection of Mr. Kennedy to guide the Division of Well being and Human Companies.
“Mr. Kennedy isn’t certified to guide the Nationwide Well being Division with a price range of greater than $1.6 trillion and greater than 80,000 workers,” the general public letter stated. “He has little or no related administrative, coverage or well being expertise or experience that may put together her or him to supervise the work of essential public well being businesses.”
In latest weeks, Mr. Kennedy has tours the Capitolpaying courtesy visits to senators who will take into account his nomination. His affirmation isn’t assured, with some Republicans, together with Senator Invoice Cassidy of Louisiana, chairman of the Senate Well being Committee, having stated that Mr. Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism offers them a break.
The letter launched Monday is simply the newest public push by Kennedy’s opponents. A group apartthe Committee to Shield Well being Care, stated final week it had collected greater than 15,000 signatures on a letter opposing Mr. Kennedy.
However Kennedy’s allies within the medical subject are additionally mobilizing. In December, shortly after Mr. Trump introduced his nomination, a group of 800 health professionals launched its personal letter of help for Mr. Kennedy. He stated his appointment “represents an unprecedented probability to revive the well being of our nation and renew confidence in our public well being establishments.”
