Democratic governor ‘excited’ by RFK Jr. pick for HHS

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said he was “excited” by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA,” Polis wrote in a post on social platform X, referencing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

He said he hopes Kennedy does not enact any vaccine bans although it’s a policy measure he’s strongly advocated for through his anti-vaccine organization, Children’s Health Defense.

“I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health,” Polis stated.

The Colorado governor then provided reasoning for his excitement, outlining hopes for a decrease in the price of prescription drugs, eliminating the nutrition department at the FDA, which he said does “more harm than good,” in addition to ending pesticide-intensive agriculture.

“He will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again and I hope that we can finally make progress on these important issues,” Polis concluded.

The governor in a subsequent post said science must remain the cornerstone of our nation’s health policy, noting “the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety.”

“But if as a country we follow the science we would also be far more concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health, ag policy on nutrition, and the lack of access to prescription drugs due to drug high prices,” Polis said. “This is why I am for a major shake-up in institutions like the FDA that have been barriers to lowering drug costs and promoting healthy food choices.

“Lest there by any doubt, I am vaccinated as is my family. I will hold any HHS Secretary to the same high standard of protecting and improving public health,” he added.

Kennedy notably suspended his presidential campaign to endorse President-elect Trump’s second White House bid in August. It was previously rumored that he would hold a role within the U.S. Department of Agriculture before his Thursday nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Updated on Nov. 15 at 9:48 a.m. EST

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