87 Groups Urge Senators to Oppose RFK Jr.’s Nomination

January 2024

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United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

January 24, 2025

Dear senators,

The undersigned 87 organizations representing diverse interests and sectors urge you to vote against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and to publicly announce your opposition as soon as possible if you have not yet already done so.

Kennedy regularly promotes conspiracy theories without evidentiary basis. We can expect that he would use his elevated platform in this role to spread his dangerous anti-science views. This could have a durable and consequential impact beyond any particular policy changes he advocates.

After all, he has already had a dangerous impact on public health even without serving in a government role. His misleading anti-vaccine positions have contributed to the dangerous rise of vaccine skepticism in the United States and around the world, with identifiably deadly results in some cases.^[1] He has perpetuated skepticism of the established scientific fact that the HIV virus causes AIDS^[2] and touted racist pseudoscience about vaccines^[3] and COVID.^[4] He has made baseless claims that environmental chemical exposure causes children to become gay or transgender.^[5] There are simply too many examples to include in one letter.^[6] The bottom line is that such anti-science views are disqualifying for someone tasked with serving as the top public health official in the nation.

Kennedy has also made clear he would dismantle the very public health institutions he would be charged with leading. He has publicly stated he would stop research on drug development^[7] and infectious disease,^[8] giving them “a break for about eight years.” He has also pledged to fire hundreds of National Institute of Health (NIH) employees,^[9] told Food and Drug Administration (FDA) workers to “pack [their] bags,”^[10] and said he’d like to clear out entire departments of the federal government, including the nutrition department at the FDA.^[11]

It is through this prism of bizarre anti-public health views that senators must view anything that Kennedy says. For example, Kennedy’s criticisms of Big Pharma rightfully strike a nerve with the American public (and echo critiques that many of us have long made). But instead of strengthening scientific standards at the FDA, we have every reason to believe that Kennedy’s approach would instead rely on lowering standards and disregarding science in order to tout and perhaps approve unproven medications and treatments.

Successful health initiatives rely on public confidence. If Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. takes command of the Department of Health and Human Services, we will face lies and disinformation at an unprecedented scale that are capable of unwinding a century of progress on fighting disease and promoting public health.

We urge you to swiftly announce your opposition to Kennedy’s nomination as HHS chief.

Signed,

National Organizations
ACA Consumer Advocacy
Advocates for Trans Equality
American Humanist Association
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Beta Cell Action
Bronx United Progressives
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for WorkLife Law
Children’s Defense Fund
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Coalition of Labor Union Women
Coalition on Human Needs
Committee to Protect Health Care
Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute
Defend Public Health
Doctors Council
Doctors for America
Drug Policy Alliance
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Equal Rights Advocates
Fast-Track Cities Institute
Feminist Majority Foundation
Fight for the Future
Healthcare NOW
Indivisible
Interfaith Alliance
International Association of Providers of AIDS Care
Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health
Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council
Just Care USA
Labor Campaign for Single Payer
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
League of Conservation Voters
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
MomsRising
MoveOn
NAACP
National Center for Youth Law
National Consumers League
National Council of Jewish Women
Nurses for America
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women’s Law Center
People Power United
Physicians for a Healthy Democracy
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)
Popular Democracy
Progressive Democrats of America
Protect Our Care
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
Public Citizen
Reproductive Freedom for All
SAFE Communities Coalition
Social Security Works
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Union of Concerned Scientists
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines North America
Voices for Progress
Voices of Health Care Action

State and Local Organizations
AIDS Foundation Chicago
AIDS Resource
Arizona Families for Vaccines
Bronx United Progressives
Citizen Action/Illinois
EverThrive Illinois
Florida Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP)
Housing Works
Indivisible Marin
Louisiana Families for Vaccines
Massachusetts Families for Vaccines
Metro New York Health Care for All
Montana Families for Vaccines
New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN)
NYS Alliance for Retired Americans
Oregon Families for Vaccines
PSARA (Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action)
Rise Up WV
South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
South Dakota Families for Vaccines
Tennessee Families for Vaccines
Unity Fellowship of Christ Church-NYC
VOCAL-NY
Washington Community Action Network
Westchester for Change