Dr. Deborah Birxformer White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday she is “excited” about data on key health issues that will surface during Senate confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial choice for Secretary of Health and Human Affairs, which spread misinformation about vaccines and autism.
“I’m actually pleased that in a Senate hearing he’s presenting his data and that the questions the senators are asking will be reporting their data,” Birx said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan“What I am sure of is that he is a very intelligent man who can present his data and his evidence base, and we can have a discussion that many Americans already believe is a problem.”
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday in a social media post, he will appoint Kennedy to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services, which encompasses multiple agencies and has a $1 trillion budget. The position must be approved by the Senate, which next January will be controlled by the Republicans, which could facilitate the nomination process but does not constitute a guarantee.
“I am pleased to announce the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” Trump wrote in a social media post last week. He said Americans have been “crushed by the industrial food complex and pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in deception, misinformation and misinformation” about public health, and that Kennedy would “make America great again big and healthy! »
At an October rally, Trump promised to let Kennedy “run amok” on health care issues.
Kennedy has widely criticized vaccines in the past, including spreading misleading claims about their safety. He also committed to fight against an “epidemic” of chronic diseases and believes that big pharmaceutical and food companies are responsible for a wide range of diseases. Kennedy says a number of health problems in the United States have gotten worse, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, infertility rates, diabetes and obesity, which he blames on federal inaction.
Kennedy insisted he was not “anti-vaccine” and pledged not to ban vaccines under the Trump administration. Kennedy instead promises to “restore transparency” around vaccine safety data and records that he accuses HHS officials of hiding. This data is expected to be discussed in upcoming congressional confirmation hearings, a dialogue in which Birx said she believes Americans would benefit from learning more about different perspectives on concerns surrounding vaccines.
“So until we can have that transparency and open discussion on both sides, I know the members have an incredible staff that will ask great questions from their constituents, and this hearing would be a way for Americans to really see the data that you have talking,” Birx said Sunday.
Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine official, said at an event hosted by the Milken Institute last week before Trump’s decision that he hopes to find common ground with Kennedy and is also open to a data-driven conversation.
“What I would ask him to do is keep an open mind. We’re happy to try to show as much data as possible. And I think the data is essentially overwhelming, in some areas, but we’re going to We just need to engage in dialogue,” Marks said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy will be in charge of a giant portfolio, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare. and Medicaid services.
Birx said Sunday that Kennedy, who ran for president this year but never held public office and is already facing criticism for his qualifications, would benefit from surrounding himself with an experienced team from the medical sector.
“So really having a leader on your side, a chief of staff, maybe that really came from the industry that would know how to bring together and review and bring together the individuals that are running the other agencies, because…HHS is in probably one of our most complicated departments,” Birx said.
