The Dangerous Reality of RFK Jr. Leading HHS
RFK Jr. spent years eroding trust in vaccines and public health. Now, as HHS Secretary, he can turn conspiracy into policy, fueling GOP attacks on science, healthcare, and marginalized communities.
The Power at Play
For the first time in modern history, the Senate has confirmed a Secretary of Health and Human Services who fundamentally distrusts the very agency he now leads. The 52-48 vote fell strictly along party lines, save for one defection: Mitch McConnell, of all people, who voted against Kennedy, citing his record of "trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions."
McConnell’s opposition speaks volumes. This is a man who survived polio. He has seen firsthand the lifesaving power of vaccines. That his fellow Republicans ignored his warning tells us everything we need to know about where the GOP stands on public health: against it.
Under normal circumstances, the Secretary of HHS is one of the least politically controversial cabinet appointments. The job is about policy, not ideology—making sure that Medicare and Medicaid work, coordinating responses to public health crises, and maintaining the nation’s medical research institutions. But RFK Jr. is not a normal appointment. His entire career has been built on undermining the very foundations of public health.
Who Is This Guy?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is no stranger to controversy, nor is he an outsider to American political and public health debates. The son of former Attorney General and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, RFK Jr. was born into political royalty. However, rather than carrying forward his family’s legacy of progressive governance, he has spent the last two decades attacking the very institutions his predecessors sought to strengthen.
Kennedy first rose to prominence as an environmental lawyer, advocating for clean water policies and environmental protections. However, over time, he pivoted into an increasingly conspiratorial worldview, particularly surrounding vaccines and public health measures. By the early 2000s, he was amplifying the now-disproven claim that childhood vaccines cause autism, a stance that put him at odds with the overwhelming consensus of the scientific and medical communities. His organization, Children’s Health Defense, became a hub for anti-vaccine propaganda, spreading misinformation that contributed to declining vaccination rates and the resurgence of diseases once thought to be eradicated.
His influence on the American healthcare debate has been profoundly negative. Kennedy's opposition to public health initiatives did not stop at vaccines—he has also attacked government efforts to combat COVID-19, calling mandates and lockdowns "totalitarian" and promoting unproven treatments. His rhetoric aligns closely with far-right narratives that frame public health interventions as government overreach, a stance that gained traction among conservative activists during the pandemic.
One of the most damning examples of his public health sabotage came in 2019, when he traveled to Samoa amid a deadly measles outbreak. Instead of advocating for vaccination, he amplified vaccine skepticism, fueling hesitancy in a country already struggling with misinformation. His actions were widely condemned by medical experts and public health officials, who accused him of worsening the crisis. The Samoan government, which had already declared a state of emergency, ultimately shut down schools and imposed mandatory vaccinations to curb the outbreak, a measure that Kennedy’s messaging directly undermined.
Now, as head of HHS, Kennedy has an unprecedented platform to reshape public health policy—not with science, but with ideology.
A Lens of Justice
The people most affected by Kennedy’s new leadership position are those already vulnerable in the American healthcare system: disabled people, the elderly, low-income families, and communities of color.
COVID-19 disproportionately devastated Black and Brown communities, who had higher rates of exposure due to frontline work, less access to healthcare, and greater pre-existing conditions. Vaccines were a lifeline. But Kennedy has spent decades telling people those vaccines might be more dangerous than the diseases they prevent.
It is no accident that anti-vaccine rhetoric has surged among right-wing politicians and media figures who see distrust in public health as a wedge issue. Kennedy, despite his famous last name, has become a key figure in this movement, using his platform to push dangerous misinformation under the guise of "medical freedom."
The implications go beyond vaccines. Reproductive healthcare is already under attack from the right, and Kennedy has aligned himself with anti-choice forces under the banner of "protecting children from medical tyranny." Will HHS, under his leadership, prioritize funding for maternal health or restrict access to reproductive care? Will he stand up for LGBTQ+ health protections or let discrimination run rampant under the pretense of "parental rights"? The signs are not promising.
Reframing the Debate
Conservatives will insist that Kennedy’s appointment is about "holding public health agencies accountable." This is a lie. The goal is not reform but destruction.
Project 2025, the right-wing roadmap for dismantling federal agencies, explicitly targets HHS, the CDC, the NIH, and the FDA for budget cuts and "restructuring" that would strip them of regulatory power. The strategy is clear: cripple public health institutions, then declare them ineffective.
Kennedy’s appointment is part of this larger war on expertise. The right has spent years chipping away at trust in science, from climate denial to COVID conspiracies. Now, with one of their own at the helm of HHS, they can accelerate the process from within.
The key to countering this is shifting the narrative: this is not about "medical freedom," it’s about national security. A country that cannot manage public health crises, control disease outbreaks, or maintain basic trust in medicine is a country in chaos. The stakes are not individual choices—they are the survival of a functioning society.
The Counterpoint Trap
Expect the usual conservative defenses—arguments designed to deflect, distract, and control the conversation. Below are some of the most common tactics and how they function as bad faith arguments:
“Kennedy is just asking questions. Isn’t that good for science?” → Sealioning: This tactic feigns curiosity while relentlessly pushing misinformation. Kennedy does not engage in genuine scientific inquiry—he spreads discredited claims to erode trust in public health.
“The CDC and FDA need reform. Why not shake things up?” → Motte-and-Bailey Fallacy: When challenged, conservatives retreat to a reasonable position (“We just want accountability”), but their actual agenda is dismantling these agencies.
“He’s a Democrat. Doesn’t that mean he’s bipartisan?” → False Equivalence: Kennedy’s party affiliation is irrelevant when he aligns himself with far-right figures and conspiracy theorists. His so-called “bipartisanship” is a calculated façade to lend credibility to GOP extremism.
Recognizing these rhetorical traps is key to countering misinformation. The goal is not to engage in endless debate but to expose the broader political project at play.
Deeper Dive
For those seeking to understand how public health has been weaponized for political gain, here are some essential readings:
"The Death of Expertise" by Tom Nichols examines how right-wing populism erodes public trust in expertise, including public health institutions.
"Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All" by Paul A. Offit provides a crucial look at the rise of vaccine skepticism and its real-world consequences.
"Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start—and Why They Don’t Go Away" by Heidi J. Larson investigates the spread of vaccine misinformation and how it undermines public health efforts.
The Last Laugh
RFK Jr. built his career on making outlandish claims about vaccines. Now, he finds himself running the very agency responsible for vaccine policy. The irony? The moment there’s another public health crisis, he will have to either betray his base or lead an institution he has spent years trying to destroy.