Incoming US Health Secretary Vows to Clean Up Corruption and Toxic Chemicals

(CLO) The incoming Secretary of Health and Human Services in Donald Trump's administration, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has pledged to eliminate corruption in the US healthcare system and protect people from toxic chemicals.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has chosen Kennedy Jr., a vocal anti-vaccine activist, to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Mr. Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and his uncle the late President John F. Kennedy, ran for president in this year's election as an independent candidate, before dropping out in August and endorsing Mr. Trump in exchange for a role in a Republican administration.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right) and US President-elect Donald Trump greet each other at a campaign event in Duluth, Georgia, US on October 23, 2024. Photo: Reuters

“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a major role in helping ensure that everyone is protected from the toxic chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and food additives that have contributed to the serious health crisis in this Nation,” Trump said in a social media post.

“The FDA’s war on public health is coming to an end,” he wrote on X in late October, adding that the war included a “heavy crackdown” on psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, and other items.

“If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Keep records and 2. Pack your bags,” he wrote.

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the massive Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs, which provide health insurance to the poor, people 65 and older, and people with disabilities.

Tens of millions of people enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare mean HHS has a $3.09 trillion budget for fiscal year 2024, accounting for 22.8% of the US federal budget. Mr. Kennedy will be tasked with selecting candidates for top positions at US health agencies.

Despite spending heavily on health care and pharmaceuticals, Americans are no healthier than their peers in wealthy countries around the world, according to the Commonwealth Fund's 2023 report.

Mr. Kennedy also proposed that he would dissolve the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration — the agency that ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices — and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health.

In September, Mr Kennedy criticized a New York Times article about the weight loss drug Ozempic, saying: “Instead of fixing our food system and addressing the root causes of the obesity crisis, the author focuses on a drug that might alleviate symptoms — and please the wallets of Big Pharma executives.”

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bo-truong-y-te-sap-toi-cua-my-kennedy-jr-hua-dep-tham-nhung-va-hoa-chat-doc-hai-post321391.html