Statement from Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer on the Confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary

In light of the recent news that the Senate has confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, we have the following statement from Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer: “As a physician committed to patient autonomy, I feel uneasy about this confirmation. RFK Jr. insists the medical establishment isn’t a ‘priesthood’ and urges individuals to make their own informed health decisions, yet he opposes pharmaceutical companies communicating directly with consumers, reserving that information for the so-called ‘priesthood.’ His push to impose his ideal diet and exercise on Americans risks swapping one form of government paternalism for another. He lacks expertise or interest in reforming Medicare, Medicaid, and the $1.8 trillion CMS system he’ll oversee—an impending fiscal time bomb. And as the nation’s top health official, his history of promoting vaccine skepticism could deter Americans from lifesaving immunizations, despite his promise not to ban them.”