Trust In CDC Falling Under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a lot of lofty promises both on the campaign trail and during his Senate confirmation hearings for the role. In news that is absolutely shocking to no one, Kennedy has broken several of those promises and reduced trust in the CDC during his first year on the job. 

According to AP, health care research nonprofit KFF found that the percentage of Americans who trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “a great deal” or “fair amount” fell from 57% to 47% in the year since Kennedy was appointed to lead the agencies. 

“We’re going to tell them what we know, we’re going to tell them what we don’t know, and we’re going to tell them what we’re researching and how we’re doing it,” Kennedy told senators about the CDC last September. “It’s the only way to restore trust in the agency — by making it trustworthy.”

Yet, as the numbers show, Kennedy has done exactly the opposite. 

Dr. Rob Davidson, a Michigan emergency physician, told AP that the distrust in the CDC is largely a problem of Kennedy’s own making, as he was one of the most prominent voices in the anti-vaccine movement before taking over the CDC. “You fed those people false information to create the distrust, and now you’re sweeping into power, and you’re going to cure the distrust by promoting the same disinformation,” said Davidson, who runs a doctor group called the Committee to Protect Health Care. “It’s upside-down.”

In addition to lowering trust in the agency, NPR notes that RFK Jr. has broken many of the promises he made during his Senate confirmation hearing. One of his most notable broken promises was the one he made not to alter the childhood vaccine schedule. 

During the confirmation process, Sen. Elizabeth Warren highlighted how Kennedy profited from lawsuits filed against vaccine manufacturers and raised concerns about how he would handle childhood vaccines. “Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it,” Warren said during the Senate Finance Committee hearing. “Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.”

“Senator, I support vaccines,” Kennedy said in response to Warren’s concerns. “I support the childhood schedule. I will do that.”

So that was a lie. 

Shortly after being appointed to the role of HHS secretary, Kennedy purged the vaccine advisory panel and installed new members who all shared his skepticism of vaccines. Last month, the CDC changed its guidance regarding childhood vaccines, removing recommendations for children to receive vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus.

We’ve seen the consequences of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric with the drastic increase in measles cases across America over the last year. America was declared measles-free 26 years ago, yet last year saw the highest number of measles cases in 30 years, with outbreaks continuing into the new year. Despite seeing the real-world impact non-vaccination has on public health, Kennedy still moved to alter the childhood vaccine schedule. 

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, told AP that people used to trust the CDC regardless of what party was in charge because it reported “the best of what science knows at this point.”

“Now, you cannot confidently go to federal websites and know that,” she said.

I’ve generally trusted the guidance of scientists and doctors because I acknowledge that years of research and practice in medicine make them more knowledgeable than I am on the subject. While the CDC may have made some missteps during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was an entirely new virus that no one knew much about. Inevitably, mistakes were going to be made, but I do believe there was a good-faith effort being made by Anthony Fauci and CDC researchers to keep Americans safe. 

Yet I’ve increasingly become skeptical of CDC guidance because it’s not fueled through scientific thought or empirical evidence, but fringe theories and ideology. Also, to be quite frank, I’d look like an idiot taking health advice for a man who looks and talks like Edgar from Men in Black. 

RFK Jr. promised to “Make America Healthy Again,” yet his leadership of HHS has me seriously questioning what exactly “healthy” means to him. So far, it looks like letting Americans die unnecessary deaths because he’s too stubborn to admit that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong about vaccines.  

SEE ALSO:

Why No One Should Listen To HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

RFK Jr Admits Link Between Tylenol And Autism Lacks Evidence