Newly-minted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signaled Thursday that ending the “childhood chronic disease epidemic” will be one of his top priorities during President Trump’s second term.
“For 20 years, I got down every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I can end childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country,” Kennedy said after his swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office.
“On August 23 of last year, God sent me President Trump,” he added, referring to the date he ended his 2024 White House bid and endorsed Trump.
“77% of our children cannot qualify for military service,” Kennedy continued, referring to a 2022 Pentagon study.
The HHS chief praised Trump’s recent moves to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development – an agency established by his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – and said, “We want to do the same thing with the institutions that are stealing the health of our children.”
Kennedy, who was confirmed by the Senate earlier in the day in a 52-48 vote, will oversee 13 HHS divisions and agencies – including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – and a budget of roughly $1.7 trillion.
He said he planned on implementing “radical transparency” at HHS and returning to “gold standard science” at the agencies he now oversees.
“Ending the corruption, ending the corporate capture of those agencies, getting rid of the people on those panels that have conflicts of interest — we can do unadorned and unimpeded science rather than the kind of product that is coming out of those agencies,” Kennedy said.
When asked by a reporter what he would like to tell Democratic senators who voted against his confirmation, RFK brought it back to children.
“Whether you’re in a blue state or red state, I’m going to do everything I can to work with you, whether you are a Democrat or Republican, to restore child health in this country,” RFK Jr. said.
