Lisa Jarvis, Columnist

RFK Jr. Is Not Up to the Enormous Task Before Him

During his confirmation hearings, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services showed that his dangerous views on vaccines and science haven’t changed.

February 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM UTC

By Lisa Jarvis

Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News.

Not qualified for the job.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images

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During his two days of Senate confirmation hearings, several moments reminded us of the enormity of responsibility Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would have as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. And there were many more moments when he proved he wasn’t up to the task.

Hours of grilling by senators did nothing to quiet fears that Kennedy continued to hold dangerous views on vaccines. Worse, the questioning revealed how he would rely on junk science to push his agenda and that of President Donald Trump.