Letter to Senators: Oppose the Nomination of RFK Jr. for HHS Secretary
Please sign on to this letter to all US Senators in opposition to the nomination of RFK Jr. for HHS Secretary. The text of the letter is below at the bottom of this form (scroll down). We will release this letter to the media on Thursday, December 19th, so please get your sign-ons in by the end of the day on December 18th. Feel free to circulate to friends and colleagues. This letter is being organized by a new coalition currently called Defending Public Health. If you want to join the coalition and are not yet a member, please check "yes" below. All affiliations are for identification purposes only.
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Dear Senators,

As public health professionals, scientists and concerned constituents, we are writing to urge you to oppose the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Our concerns are three-fold.

First, Mr. Kennedy is unqualified to lead the nation’s health department with a budget of over $1.6 trillion and over 80,000 employees. He has little to no relevant administrative, policy or health experience or expertise that would prepare him to oversee the work of critical public health agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and more. It is also essential that the Secretary of HHS fully understand how our health system works in the US, including the recognition that the public health system depends on providing support for state, local, academic and community-based partners working in cities and towns across the country.

Second, the nation’s health department must be led by someone who respects and believes in science - robust basic research, pandemic preparedness and evidence-based approaches to all conditions that threaten Americans’ lives and well-being and are designed to protect us from cradle to grave. Even now, the spread of the H5N1 virus and the first known case of Clade 1 MPox in California, should serve as ample reminders that we can never “take a break” from studying infectious diseases as suggested by Mr. Kennedy at an anti-vaccine conference in November. (Nov. 3, NBC News)

Finally, Mr. Kennedy is well known for his conspiracy-driven theories on vaccines, COVID-19, HIV, and fluoridation. His unfounded, fringe beliefs could significantly undermine public health practices across the country and around the world. 

It is unfathomable that President Trump, whose Administration implemented Operation Warp Speed, the historic, rapid development of highly effective vaccines for COVID-19, would now be nominating someone who is decidedly anti-vaccine and could, if confirmed, undermine not only the progress we’ve made in saving lives from COVID-19 but also from life-threatening infectious diseases including polio, tetanus, measles, mumps, seasonal flu and more. 

As public health professionals and scientists, we strongly urge you to prioritize science and evidence-based approaches to public health. We need a leader at the helm of HHS who people can trust. Please oppose this dangerous nomination.

Sincerely,

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