President-elect Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump announced he has selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy initially ran as an independent candidate in the presidential election before suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump, who promised him a role in health policy.

The agency oversees drug, vaccine and food safety, medical research and Medicare and Medicaid. It also houses the FDA, the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.

“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 said in a post on his Truth Social site announcing the appointment.

In his announcement, Trump said Kennedy, who has pushed for tighter regulations around food ingredients over the years, would “Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

The Associated Press reports Kennedy’s stance on vaccines has made him a controversial figure which raises questions about his ability to get confirmed, even in a Republican-controlled Senate. In the past, Kennedy has spread misinformation about vaccine safety, including the discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism.

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