MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rep. Steve Cohen (D) of Memphis said Tuesday he will oppose President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, citing Kennedy’s anti-vaccination stances.
Rep. Cohen is one of two members of Congress who contracted polio as a child, along with outgoing Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.
“Despite my cordial relations with Robert Kennedy over 40 years, his position on vaccines disqualifies him for consideration as a Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Cohen in a statement. “I contacted polio as a child, spent three months in the hospital and more than a year on crutches. I still wear a brace because it is difficult to stand, even for the national anthem.”
Kennedy headed to Capitol Hill late Monday to reintroduce himself to senators, His wide-ranging views — yes to raw milk, no to fluoride, Ozempic and America's favorite processed foods — are raising alarms in the scientific community and beyond.
Ahead of Kennedy's arrival he was given a word of advice from Sen. McConnell, who cautioned the nominee against views opposing the vaccine.
"Anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts," McConnell said recently.
One Republican, Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, said Kennedy told him, "I 100% support the polio vaccination." But Mullin added that their conversation also turned to other childhood vaccinations.
"The more you talk to him, the more he explains it, the more you like him," Mullin said.
Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called Kennedy "a truly dangerous" choice.
Besser, in an op-ed in U.S. News and World Report, said Kennedy stands out as a "single potential Cabinet member who could do the most damage to the American people's lives."
Cohen appears to agree with Besser.
“Kennedy, who has earned a reputation as the leading voice against vaccinations of all kinds, is being advised in choosing health care officials by his attorney, Aaron Siri. Siri specializes in anti-vaccine lawsuits of all sorts and has petitioned the U.S. Government to revoke the approval of the polio vaccine. Kennedy himself has spoken about having a placebo study for the polio vaccine in which some children would not get immunized while others would. That’s morally unacceptable,” said Cohen.
“If Kennedy were successful in rolling back the polio vaccine’s approval, potentially millions would suffer and many would die,” he continued. “Leaving children unvaccinated for polio will also be an expensive and unnecessary experiment that, in addition to the human costs, will cost the taxpayer. The medical care for those who contract polio will be great and many who survive will need life-long care.”
Some of Kennedy's views find favor but also opposition from both sides of the political aisle. Kennedy's ideas about ridding the nation's food of additives have drawn interest if not support from some Democrats, but his criticism of major farm interests have also raised concerns from the agricultural industry.
Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley says he's interested in what Kennedy says about pigs "because Iowa is the number one pig producer."
“Robert Kennedy Jr. may have some good ideas about nutrition and processed foods, but should not be in charge of the health and medical care. I do not say that lightly because I have known him for many years and we have had a good relationship,” said Cohen. “We must follow rigorous scientific protocols and follow the facts as they become available, but we do not need to turn back established medical protocols on the whim of those who have no medical training. There is no doubt about the safety and efficacy of the polio vaccine in preventing polio. None.”
Trump said Monday during his own press conference he's a "big believer" in polio vaccines and sought to tamp down fears about Kennedy, saying he will be "much less radical" than people think.
HHS has a broad reach across the lives of Americans — inspecting the nation's food, regulating medicines and overseeing research of diseases and cures. It provides health insurance for nearly half of the country — poor, disabled and older Americans, including via Medicare.
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Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz and Stephen Groves contributed to this report
