Dem Rep. Robert Garcia says RFK Jr. nomination for health secretary is 'f------ insane,' will 'cost lives'

Some lawmakers and nationalist wellness leaders decried the information of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for wellness caput by President-elect Trump. 

U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., called the prime "f------ insane."

"The RFK arsenic Health Secretary assignment is f------ insane," helium wrote connected X. "He’s a vaccine denier and a tin foil chapeau conspiracy theorist. He volition destruct our nationalist wellness infrastructure and our vaccine organisation systems. This is going to outgo lives."

Garcia's bureau was not instantly disposable for comment. 

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks earlier erstwhile President Trump, the Republican statesmanlike candidate, speaks astatine a run lawsuit Nov. 1, 2024, successful Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

In a connection posted connected societal media, Kennedy said helium plans to tackle a scope of issues should helium beryllium confirmed by the Senate to pb the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

"Together we volition cleanable up corruption, halt the revolving doorway betwixt manufacture and government, and instrumentality our wellness agencies to their affluent contented of gold-standard, evidence-based science. I volition supply Americans with transparency and entree to each the information truthful they tin marque informed choices for themselves and their families," helium wrote. 

Kennedy roseate to prominence arsenic a skeptic of vaccines, portion voicing concerns astir their impact.

Madhukar Pai, seat of McGill University's Global and Public Health Department successful Montreal, Canada, said Kennedy's assignment could beryllium the "biggest setback to planetary vaccination programs since Andrew Wakefield," referring to the British idiosyncratic who published probe linking vaccines to autism that was aboriginal retracted.

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U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., speaks connected the archetypal time of the Democratic National Convention astatine the United Center successful Chicago Aug. 19, 2024.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Garcia, the erstwhile politician of Long Beach who served connected the House Select Subcommittee connected the Coronavirus Pandemic, antecedently described Kennedy arsenic a menace to nationalist wellness during a hearing. 

"The information that we're considering to bring idiosyncratic connected with nary technological oregon aesculapian credentials, who's falsely claimed for decades that vaccines origin autism, who has, rather frankly, said conscionable outrageous comments astir subject and medicine, that this idiosyncratic would travel successful to gut the NIH (National Institutes of Health), I deliberation is shameful," helium said. 

"We should beryllium precise acrophobic arsenic a state that RFK Jr. could beryllium enactment successful complaint of wellness erstwhile helium is simply a vaccine denier and has caused large harm to the American public." 

Donna Shalala, the longest serving HHS secretary, called Kennedy's information "shocking."

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Former statesmanlike campaigner Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and erstwhile President Trump, the Republican statesmanlike nominee, shingle hands during a run rally successful Glendale, Ariz., Aug. 23. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

"Kennedy is an unqualified, know-nothing. He is unsafe to the wellness and well-being of each American," she said. 

Despite the pushback, Kennedy has supporters. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, urged Kennedy to marque changes astatine HHS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, noted that Kennedy has championed issues similar steadfast foods and greater transparency successful nationalist wellness infrastructure.

"I look guardant to learning much astir his different argumentation positions and however they volition enactment a conservative, pro-American agenda," Cassidy wrote connected X. 

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Kennedy was antecedently considered for a Cabinet presumption successful 2008, erstwhile President-elect Barack Obama reportedly considered naming him to pb the Environmental Protection Agency.