On Jan. 29, the Senate conducted a hearing to determine whether Robert F. Kennedy would be the next HHS secretary.
President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Kennedy following his election in November. Since then, Mr. Kennedy has raised eyebrows in the medical community for his stances toward vaccines, Ozempic and a Medicare overhaul.
National Nurses United, the nation's largest union and professional association of registered nurses, has also called on the Senate to reject the confirmation of Mr. Kennedy.
"For nurses across the United States, memories of COVID's deadliest days are still painfully fresh, and we know that having strong leadership in the federal agencies tasked with protecting public health is a matter of life and death," Nancy Hagans, RN, the union's president, said in the letter, published Jan. 29. "Kennedy has a long track record of anti-science positions and opposition to measures that keep people healthy and safe. He's the wrong candidate for the job, his nomination puts lives at risk, and our patients deserve better. Kennedy would be one of the most dangerous individuals to ever hold the top U.S. health care office, say nurses, given his longtime opposition to lifesaving vaccines and his willingness to spread medical disinformation and unfounded health care conspiracy theories."
The letter notes that in 2023, Mr. Kennedy alleged that there is "no vaccine that is safe and effective" and disputed the CDC's guidelines about if and when children should get vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines and precautions saved around 800,000 lives in the U.S. by mid-2021, according to the letter.
Physicians and industry groups have expressed concerns about Mr. Kennedy's potential confirmation as well. In early January, 15,000 physicians signed a letter pushing senators to vote against the confirmation of Mr. Kennedy.
"The health and well-being of 336 million Americans depend on leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, evidence-based medicine, and strengthening the integrity of our public health system," the letter read. "RFK Jr. is not only unqualified to lead this essential agency — he is actively dangerous."
"RFK Jr. has publicly denied the effectiveness and safety profiles of vaccines, against the overwhelming consensus of the scientific and medical community," Moez Mithani, MD, an anesthesiologist and owner of Atlas Spine and Pain Management in New Brunswick, N.J., told Becker's. "He poses a very material threat to the safety and well-being of the American public and would be catastrophic to advancing medical science in the coming administration."
"Kennedy’s tenure would further inflame public distrust of critical vaccines and other health and safety protections," Ms. Hagans wrote. "COVID19 will not be the last pandemic we face. It is insulting and dangerous to nominate him to head the HHS when it’s clear from his very public record that he would actively position our country to experience more deaths when the next deadly infectious disease strikes."
Nurses called on the senate to "keep patients front of mind" during confirmation hearings and to reject Mr. Kennedy's nomination.