On the recordFebruary 12, 2025
Mr. President, I am joining my colleagues on the floor today to raise the alarm about the impact on the people that we serve-- in particular, the most vulnerable people we serve: the frail, elderly, children--with the nomination and soon-confirmation of Robert Kennedy, Jr., to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. I don't think it is hyperbole to say that there are very few people in this country that are less qualified to run this Agency than Robert Kennedy, Jr. I say that because there are few people in the country who have been so enthusiastic, so public, and so impactful in their ability to take some of the wildest conspiracy theories that are out there on the internet about our health system or about our kids or about our families, internalize them, and then disseminate them in a way that does great damage. There is obviously a reputation that comes with being a Kennedy. There is an ability to convince and lead people because when a Kennedy speaks--when a Kennedy speaks--there is an assumption that that comes with authority and grounding in fact. So when Robert Kennedy, Jr., even as a private citizen, has adopted and amplified some of the wildest conspiracy theories out there--most notably, his belief that there is not a single safe vaccine in the United States of America--it has consequences because people listen to the Kennedy family.…
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