Local experts express ‘grave concern’ as Trump appoints controversial vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Health and Human Services

Editor’s note: Robert F Kennedy Jr. founded the anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense. A previous version of this story incorrectly named an organization that is not affiliated with Kennedy or anti-vaccine advocacy.

Local health experts raised alarms Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump announced vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. his pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

While he promised to “make America healthy again,” Kennedy’s past fixations on debunked vaccine claims and adherence to fringe medical opinions have raised concerns from public health experts.

“I have some early grave concerns,” former Spokane Regional Health District Administrator Torney Smith said. “We know enough about Kennedy to understand that he is a person who does not believe in immunizations. He’s an individual that I don’t think understands public health at all. And to put a person like that in charge is reckless, in my opinion,”

The HHS secretary oversees the federal government’s health policy through agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Kennedy has promised a mass exodus of employees at the CDC and FDA who have “committed war” against public health.

“If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags,” he wrote on Twitter in October – accusing many of the career bureaucrats of doing the bidding of pharmaceutical companies.

Kennedy specifically said under his stewardship the federal government would end its “suppression” of medicines and products such as psychedelics, raw milk, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine and others.

Kennedy will also oversee programs providing health insurance to millions of Americans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Having worked as an environmental lawyer for decades, Kennedy does not have any formal training in public health.

Washington Democratic Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Tacoma, called Kennedy’s appointment “irresponsible” and “egregious.” Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington called Kennedy a “notorious anti-vaxxer” and said the pick was “dangerous.”

“Confirming RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary would be nothing short of a disaster for the health of millions of families. I urge my Senate Republican colleagues to join me in forcefully condemning and opposing this catastrophic nomination,” she wrote in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Washington Department of Health said their medical advice and practice would not be impacted by the incoming administration.

“WA State remains committed to serving the people in Washington and ensuring the health and well-being of all in our state, guided by science, public health expertise, and evidence-based practices. The dept will continue to uphold tried-and-true public health standards and work to ensure that all people in WA have access to public health services,” DOH spokesperson Tony Castaneda said in a statement.

But Smith worries local public health agencies like the Spokane Regional Health District would have to spend valuable time to counter messages from Kennedy that may confuse or misinform Spokane residents.

Current Spokane health officer Dr. Francisco Velazquez took a much more measured approach to his organization’s future relationship with the incoming administration.

“I’m not going to guess or pretend to know what conversation may or may not happen in the future,” Velazquez said when asked how the local health district may react to medical misinformation from the federal government. “From an SRHD perspective, our role is to provide the community with educational information and access to information that will allow them to make the best decisions possible.”

Velazquez also noted that the health district has moved away from using the term “misinformation” because it can be “confusing to some” and “may generate a negative response.” Instead, the Health District has “thoughtful discussion” where accurate information is shared.

“There are some conversations in which a lot more information needs to be shared, and that is OK,” he said. “Approaching it from that perspective as opposed to challenging what others may bring to the table is usually the best way to do it, because it generates thoughtful discussion in which we are listening to each other. When you have truth and facts and overwhelming evidence, that usually prevails.”

Vaccines

Kennedy is a longtime critic of vaccination, including both the COVID-19 vaccine and much older and routine childhood vaccinations. He has made false claims linking vaccines to autism and founded one of the leading anti-vaccine nonprofits in the nation, the Children’s Health Defense.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy falsely claimed the COVID-19 vaccine was dangerous and that the disease was engineered to “ethnically target” those who were not Chinese or Jewish.

In a 2023 interview, Kennedy also claimed there is “no vaccine that is safe and effective.”

Velazquez said that vaccines have “been proven to be an effective tool” in preventing disease and recommended Spokane residents follow their doctor’s advice on immunizations.

Since the election, Kennedy has distanced himself from his vaccine skepticism and said he will not prevent Americans from getting vaccinated.

“I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines. I’ve never been anti-vaccine. If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away. People oughta have choice, and that choice oughta be informed by the best information. So I’m going to make sure the scientific safety studies and efficacy is out there. And people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them,” he said in an interview with NBC News.

Water fluoridation

While much is unknown over what Kennedy will do in office, he has stated his intention to shift the country away from fluoridating water

Kennedy has said he will advise on Day 1 of the Trump administration for all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is a naturally occurring chemical artificially added to many water systems to promote tooth health and prevent decay. Kennedy has claimed the chemical is causing bone cancer and lowering the IQ of children.

“I think the faster it goes out, the better. I’m not going to compel anybody to take it out, but I’m going to advise the water districts about their legal liability, their legal obligation to their service zones and their constituents. And I’m going to give them good information about the science, and I think the fluoride will disappear,” Kennedy said during an NBC News interview last week.

Washington State Dental Association advocacy director Kevin Schilling called fluoride “nature’s cavity fighter.”

“The Dental Association supports community water fluoridation as a safe, effective, cost-saving and socially equitable way to prevent tooth decay. Throughout more than 75 years of research and practical experience, the best available scientific evidence has consistently shown that fluoridation of community water is safe,” Schilling said.

Smith said the removal of fluoridated water across the United States would be a “tremendous loss” for the country’s oral health.

“We would suffer the consequences of poor teeth, which leads to disease and decay. In the long term, such a policy would just hurt our health and increase the cost of health care,” the former health district administrator said.

Spokane’s municipal water is not fluoridated, which has been a point of significant controversy over the years. The city has rejected the practice three times at the ballot box – most recently in 2000, when a measure failed by just 2%. Spokane is the largest city in Washington that does not artificially fluoridate its water.

In 2022, the Spokane City Council initiated a study to examine the cost and feasibility of fluoridating Spokane’s water. The study did not examine the health impact of fluoride. When results of the study were presented in 2023, the city council opted to indefinitely table the measure.

In a joint letter, former City Council President Lori Kinnear and Councilman Michael Cathcart wrote the city was “not in any position to finance the implementation and operation of a fluoridation system.”

Velazquez declined to say whether Spokane should fluoridate its water, but said it should look at “any and all tools that we have available to promote good oral health.”

Kennedy and other opponents of fluoridation have pointed to a recent court case in California that ruled fluoride may have a risk to the IQ of children .

Rick North is a volunteer with Safe Water Spokane, a nonpartisan advocacy group that has opposed fluoridation in the city. In citing this court case, North claimed Kennedy’s position was “part of an overwhelming majority position in the world.”

While not endorsing a partisan political figure, North said he “appreciated” the renewed focus on fluoride.

Smith suggested many of the studies cited by this lawsuit studied fluoride at much higher levels than is found in drinking water. Velazquez added that “many things can be toxic at too high a level.”