Impact: RFK Jr.’s First Five Months as Health Secretary

This is an article written by one of our students, Gavin D. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.

On August 23, 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., more commonly known as RFK Jr., dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump. With this move, RFK Jr. was promised the health secretary position in the administration if Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Sure enough, as the election results were tallied, Trump was declared the winner, and with that, RFK Jr., despite no prior experience in healthcare or the federal government, was to be Trump’s pick for the next health secretary. 

 Once Trump was inaugurated on January 20th, the newly elected president wasted little time in living up to his promise. On February 13th, the Senate approved Trump’s backing of RFK Jr. as the new health secretary. The voting was done almost entirely along party lines, as all but one Republican senator approved of the new health secretary. Interestingly, the lone opposer in the Republican Party was Senator Mitch McConnell, a longtime ally of President Trump. Later that week, McConnell released a statement in which he stated that he disapproved of RFK Jr. due to his “record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions…”, showing that not everyone approved of the President’s pick for a position so important to the well-being of the nation. 

More than five months later, RFK has done plenty to justify the worries of many Americans. For starters, RFK Jr., who openly criticized vaccines in the past, has taken massive steps against them. Under his leadership, the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, has had to stop research on mRNA vaccines and close down facilities crucial in preventing future pandemics. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, was forced to stop approving the COVID-19 vaccination to anyone under the age of 65 or in high-risk groups. This move led to multiple health organizations suing RFK Jr., as many worried about the consequences of eroding the trust in vaccines. 

Even more disturbingly, in early June, RFK Jr. fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which provides the nation with firm guidelines on vaccines. This comes after RFK Jr. reassured everyone that he would not interfere with the ACIP under any circumstances. However, RFK Jr. did just that, firing all 17 committee members and hand-picking replacements to fill their spots. One of these replacements, the new chair of the committee, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, is a known sceptic of vaccines and was fired from Harvard University for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Due to their backgrounds and the fact that they were handpicked by RFK Jr., Dr. Kulldorff and the other newly appointed members of the committee will surely uphold the new health secretary’s views on vaccines and other issues. Therefore, these appointments outline a dangerous problem that is becoming increasingly common in today’s world. By inserting politics and political figures into a trusted body such as the ACIP, you erode its credibility and take away its ability to protect and inform the American public. 

A major consequence of RFK Jr.’s actions against vaccines can be seen in the increasing spread of measles across the United States. RFK Jr. has said multiple times that the measles vaccine weakens over time, a claim that is strongly disputed by scientists. Due to this claim, many speculate that RFK Jr.’s open distrust of vaccines has led to the rise in measles cases across the United States. The numbers certainly back it up. Since RFK Jr. took office, measles cases in 2025 have skyrocketed to 1,319 confirmed cases across 40 states as of Jul 22, 2025. These numbers are in stark contrast to the low 285 confirmed cases in all of 2024. If RFK Jr. does not act soon, the measles outbreak may well become a crisis, and the health of many Americans may be put in danger. 

As well, the upheaval and change brought about by RFK. Jr. goes far beyond vaccines. After being sworn in as health secretary in February, RFK Jr. has pushed the Trump Administration to dismantle and cut funding to countless organizations. One such organization, the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, was dismantled earlier this year by the Trump Administration. USAID, which was founded in 1961 by RFK Jr.’s uncle, John F. Kennedy, sought to harbor peace and democracy in developing nations by donating crucial food, medicine, and assistance to people living in poverty. Over time, USAID grew and contributed aid to disaster relief and combat zones. According to The Lancet and Wake Up to Politics, between 2017 and 2020, USAID responded to 240 natural disasters, provided 53 million people with food every single year, and helped to fund 52 million children’s education programs over a four-year period. This aid helped to save, on average, 4.5 million people every year. But now dark times lie ahead. RFK Jr. and the Trump Administration have dismantled the program in order to cut government spending and get rid of “a sinister propagator of totalitarianism and war,” according to RFK Jr. himself. 

Another agency that has come under attack by RFK Jr. since his inauguration is the Department of Health and Human Services, also known as HHS. The department, which RFK Jr. is the head of, has been forced to drastically reduce its workforce under RFK Jr. as the new health secretary carries out his plan to reduce the HHS’s workforce by nearly a quarter. These cuts and consolidations will surely cut down on Federal Spending as RFK Jr. intends them to. However, these cuts will come at a large cost. Not only will hundreds of thousands of people be out of jobs, but the health and safety of the American people will be in danger as cuts to the HHS mean cuts to its branches, such as the FDA, CDC, and NIH. These branches play a massive role in keeping America healthy, and with their reduction, Americans may be at a greater risk of health problems than they were before. 

Most recently, RFK Jr. has gotten involved in the healthiness of the food Americans eat. On Jun 26, 2025 RFK Jr. toured a plant in Oklahoma that makes meal kits for a company called Mom’s Meals. The company, which was founded in 1999, delivers seven-dollar meals straight to the doorstep of Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. After touring the factory, RFK Jr. praised Mom’s Meals, saying in a video posted to his official health secretary account, “This is really one of the solutions for making our country healthy again”. However, Mom’s Meals food is ultra-processed and contains preservatives as well as saturated fats, sugars, and large amounts of sodium. According to the Associated Press, “an Associated Press review of Mom’s Meals menu, including the ingredients and nutrition labels, shows that the company’s offerings are the type of heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed foods that Kennedy routinely criticizes for making people sick”. By endorsing Mom’s Meals and calling them one of the solutions to America’s health problem, RFK Jr. has once again put the health of the American people in danger. Mom’s Meals is a good option for people who need food at that price, and having it delivered to your door is a great way to get it to the people who need it, but saying that it is the key to fixing America’s health problem is not true and will not result in positive change. 

Overall, RFK Jr.’s first five months as health secretary have been tumultuous. He has put the health of many Americans in danger through his cuts, recommendations, and claims. These moves are very unprecedented and make many people question whether he is fit to hold such a powerful and necessary position. However, we are just five months into RFK Jr.’s appointment. As time progresses, RFK Jr. may well live up to his promises and “Make America Healthy Again”.