Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department Health and Human Services (HHS), is having his day in the spotlight as senators question his qualifications to run the sprawling $1.7 trillion, 80,000 employee division.
Kennedy, son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy (the third of 11 children) is an unorthodox pick from a Republican president.
Before running for the Democrat nomination for president of the United States in 2023, Kennedy’s career had a rocky start. Originally hired as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan following law school, he struggled with drug addiction before turning his attention to the environment.
In recent months, Mr. Kennedy has developed a spirited following from those who share his concerns about America’s declining health. For years, he’s served as either chairman or chief legal counsel for the Children’s Health Defense.
Anticipating criticism of his previous statements and positions on vaccines, Kennedy’s opening remarks were an attempt to make clear of distinctions within his perspective.
“I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things,” he stated. “News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety.”
Throughout both his campaign for president and while supporting President Trump’s candidacy, Kennedy has had a lot to say about the chemicals, dyes, and other engineering of America’s food supply. He told senators that he’s not “the enemy of food producers.” Instead, he insisted, “American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security… I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”
He went on, “Should I be so privileged to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the President, to Congress, and to the American people. We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to health.”
It’s that commitment that has enthused a broad coalition of supporter, especially socially conservative and often, homeschooling, mothers.
The New York Times has picked up on this energy.
In Tuesday’s edition, the Old Grey Lady highlighted several mothers who are concerned about the country’s “contaminated soil and waterways, factory-farmed meat and the lobbying by agricultural corporations.”
Among home-schooling mothers like Ms. Gleaton, Mr. Kennedy has long been seen as a bold truth-teller, one who understands their skepticism about the education and health establishments … And his rising profile comes as this particular constituency is also coming into its own politically and culturally.
“He’s saying what parents like me have been thinking for a long time,” said Nicki Truesdell, a mother of five and a home-schooling activist in Gainesville. “In the ‘crunchy’ world, he’s very well known and loved.”
This “Crunchy Mama” demographic may have once been a quiet subculture, but that’s not the case anymore.
COVID-19 vaccine mandates for children in some states was a bridge too far for many moms and dads. That Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was willing to acknowledge concerns over “Big Pharma” and “Big Ag” has served to encourage and turn one-time spectators into outspoken defenders of Kennedy’s nomination.
“Parents are waking up,” Gleaton told The Times. “The rebel stuff is starting to be normalized.”
Christians championing Kennedy’s nomination have been forced to address and reconcile the nominee’s long history of supporting abortion. Wednesday’s hearing may have provided those of us who champion the protection of preborn life some measure of comfort.
“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” Kennedy said. “I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year.” When it comes to the life issue, Mr. Kennedy has vowed to follow President Trump’s lead.
A heated exchange with Senator Maggie Hassan on Wednesday also suggested the pro-abortion crowd isn’t enthusiastic with the prospect of a Secretary Kennedy heading up HHS.
An exasperated Senator Hassan referred to abortion as “direly needed healthcare” and questioned whether she or any other abortion zealots could depend on the nominee.
In a deeply divided United States Senate, Kennedy’s confirmation faces strict scrutiny. Either way, it will be close. But you can be sure that if a large contingent of conservative mothers has anything to say about it, RFK, Jr. may very well soon be the 26th secretary of HHS.
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