File: Robert F. Kennedy Jr emphasized in a congressional hearing in May that he did not think Americans should ever take medical advice from him.
When America’s top health official admits he should never be trusted to give medical advice , how can the American people trust him to safeguard their health? That is the dilemma we now face with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Science, not conspiracy theories, must guide the health of 330 million Americans. Berni Sanders is right: Kennedy’s leadership at HHS puts our nation’s health at risk.”
By: Ya Libnan Editorial Board- Op-Ed
In May, Kennedy told Congress bluntly that Americans “should not take medical advice” from him. On its face, that sounded like humility. But in practice, it is alarming. Kennedy is not a talk show guest or a private citizen. He is the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services—the nation’s top health official—responsible for overseeing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the health decisions that affect over 330 million Americans. His words matter. His policies matter even more.
Senator Bernie Sanders is right: Kennedy is endangering the health of the American people. His long record of anti-vaccine activism and his willingness to sideline science for ideology have already created turmoil inside the government. Respected public health experts are resigning from the CDC in protest. Longstanding immunization programs are being undermined. The public health infrastructure that Americans depend on in times of crisis is being hollowed out.
The consequences are not theoretical. Measles—once declared eliminated in the United States—has surged back, with outbreaks now numbering in the thousands. When preventable diseases return because leadership sows distrust in vaccines, Americans pay the price in lost lives, lost workdays, and shattered families.
This is not about politics. It is about trust. The health of our children, the safety of our communities, and the credibility of American science are too important to be sacrificed on the altar of conspiracy theories and personal crusades.
The Secretary of Health does not have to be a physician. But he must uphold the consensus of science and empower experts who dedicate their lives to protecting public health. Kennedy has done the opposite. By his own admission, he is not someone Americans should look to for medical guidance. Yet, he wields unprecedented authority over our medical future. That contradiction is intolerable.
Sanders is right to call for Kennedy’s resignation. For the sake of America’s health, integrity, and future, we need a leader at HHS who strengthens trust in science—not one who undermines it at every turn.