U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii took to the Senate floor to express her opposition to the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Hirono criticized Kennedy's history as an anti-vaccine activist and his promotion of conspiracy theories.
"One would hope the President’s nominee to lead such an important department would be a level-headed individual, guided by science and data. Instead, Donald Trump has nominated the total opposite: Robert Kennedy, Jr.," Hirono stated.
She recounted her childhood experiences in rural Japan where diseases spread rapidly due to lack of vaccines. "As a child, I remember getting measles, mumps, whooping cough—when one kid in our village got sick, it just spread like wildfire in our village and all the kids got sick," she said.
Hirono also highlighted potential negative impacts on Hawaii's research institutions due to recent funding cuts announced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Eliminating access to health care, promoting conspiracy theories, firing researchers, and undermining evidence-based policy making will do nothing to make us healthier," she continued.
The senator read from an op-ed by Hawaii's Governor Josh Green published in the New York Times. Green opposed Kennedy's nomination due to his role in spreading misinformation about vaccines that led to a deadly measles outbreak in Samoa.
"Our governor wrote: 'When vaccination rates fall, preventable diseases can regain a foothold and pose a new danger,'" Hirono quoted. She urged her colleagues to vote against Kennedy’s nomination citing concerns for public health safety.
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