State House News Service | Reactions pour in as Senate confirms Kennedy for HHS

By Michael P. Norton and Chris Lisinski | Originally Published by State House News Service

BOSTON (SHNS) – The U.S. Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s next health and human services secretary on Thursday, elevating a President Donald Trump pick who drew criticism for his stance on vaccines.

Senators voted 52-48 mostly along partisan lines, according to reports from the nation’s capital. All Democrats voted no, as did Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who previously led the chamber’s GOP caucus.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch swore Kennedy in, and HHS reported that Trump immediately signed an executive order establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission “to investigate and address the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic disease.”

The Health and Suman Services secretariat oversees Medicare and Medicaid, the nation’s two massive public health insurance programs.  In October 2022, Massachusetts under Gov. Charlie Baker began a $67 billion Medicaid waiver that was negotiated with HHS and is set to run for five years, expiring in 2027.

Many other states have Medicaid waivers, sometimes referred to as Section 1115 demonstration waivers, that allow them to tailor the public health insurance programs to more closely align with their specific preferences and needs. Baker in 2022 said behavioral health care and primary care were features of the five-year waiver.

Kennedy will oversee a nearly $2 trillion budget, HHS said, and a secretariat that holds the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Reactions poured in to the news of Kennedy’s confirmation, especially given the significance of the health care, pharmaceutical and research sectors, and concerns about the outlook for those sectors under Trump.

Here’s a sampling of what policymakers, advocates and industry leaders had to say:

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

“Putting Kennedy in charge of the nation’s public health is a huge mistake. When dangerous diseases resurface and people can’t access lifesaving vaccines, all Americans will suffer. And thanks to his serious, unresolved conflicts of interest, RFK Jr.’s family could continue getting richer from his anti-vaccine crusade while he’s in office.”

Massachusetts Public Health Alliance

“The Massachusetts Public Health Alliance is gravely concerned about the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Mr. Kennedy’s extensive record of spreading disinformation about vaccines, HIV and AIDS, water fluoridation, and transgender health care reveals a dangerous disregard for established science and evidence-based public health measures that have saved countless lives. During confirmation hearings, Mr. Kennedy demonstrated that he lacks the requisite training, health care management experience, ethical judgment, and basic understanding of science required to serve as our nation’s chief health official.

Mr. Kennedy, working at the behest of President Trump, is likely to systematically dismantle essential public health infrastructure and coerce health institutions, local officials, and public health workers to abandon evidence-based practices that have a real-world impact on the lives and health of millions. The health and safety of communities across the country depend on leadership that respects science, understands public health, and puts people ahead of politics and profits. Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation represents a dangerous departure from these principles.

The Massachusetts Public Health Alliance will continue working with state and local public health officials and community allies to protect and promote the health of all residents of the Commonwealth.”

Jon Toomey, president of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (represents domestic manufacturers, farmers, ranchers and labor organizations)

“For far too long, America has been at the mercy of foreign producers that routinely violate FDA safety regulations for life-saving medicines, generic drugs, and essential medical equipment. Secretary Kennedy understands the urgent need to reshore this critical sector, and his leadership at HHS will be key to achieving that goal. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of relying on overseas supply chains, and we cannot afford to remain dependent on adversarial nations for our most essential healthcare needs.

We are entering a new era where economic security and national security are rightly recognized as inseparable. The Trump administration has already taken strong steps to rebuild domestic industry and reduce foreign dependence, and Secretary Kennedy’s leadership at HHS will be critical in ensuring that Americans are never again left vulnerable to supply chain disruptions in the medical sector.”

Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder

“Trump and his political puppets just gave an anti-abortion, anti-science conspiracy theorist authority to oversee our nation’s health care. This comes after Pam Bondi, a leading anti-abortion attorney, was confirmed last week as our nation’s top law enforcement officer, and Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025, was given the ability to manage the federal budget and oversee federal agencies. These three confirmations aren’t just reckless or dangerous – they are part and parcel of a deliberate strategy to dismantle reproductive freedom, ban access to abortion care, and strip Americans of their bodily autonomy. Now more than ever, state governments are essential to defending the right to choose and standing as a firewall for access to care. We must invest in states, like those in New England, where our leaders are doing the work to safeguard abortion, defend people’s personal freedoms, and go on offense to ensure patients from near and far can access the care they want and need.”

Massachusetts Families for Vaccines Director Katie Blair

“This confirmation is a disappointing setback for public health, but we are not deterred. The most important vaccine protections happen at the state level, and we’re ready to fight harder than ever to ensure strong immunization laws and policies remain intact. We will not let anti-vaccine misinformation go unchallenged, and we urge lawmakers and families to stand with us in defending science and protecting our communities.”