President Trump’s new top health official Robert Kennedy Jr. signaled his number one priority is ending the childhood chronic disease epidemic.
RFK Jr. was sworn into office as Health and Human Services Secretary on Thursday afternoon at the White House surrounded by his family after being confirmed by the Senate.
‘For 20 years I’ve gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that god would put me in a position where I could end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country,’ Kennedy said in the Oval Office standing beside Trump.
He went on to praise the 78-year-old president saying every promise he has made to him since they met last August he has kept.
Kennedy did not get into detail in his brief remarks on how he would go about taking on the challenge ahead of him, but he said the U.S. cannot be a strong nation if it has a ‘weak citizenry.’
He noted a recent study from the Pentagon that said 77 percent of young Americans would not qualify for the military.
As the top health official who has vowed to tackle chronic illness, Kennedy will now oversee 13 divisions and agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health.
His swearing-in on Thursday came hours after he was confirmed by the Senate following a nasty confirmation battle where Kennedy was put under the microscope and blasted by Democrats for his past anti-vaccine work and promoting conspiracy theories.
In the end, Kennedy was confirmed nearly along party lines with a 52 to 48 vote. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell was the lone Republican to vote with every single Democrat against his confirmation.
McConnell, a polio survivor, slammed Kennedy in a statement saying the 70-year-old vaccine skeptic had a record of ‘trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions.’
McConnell said Kennedy ‘failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency.’
Democrats, while praising efforts to improve Americans’ health, blasted Kennedy’s promotion to the top health job warning he was unqualified and spent years undermining and rejecting scientific data.
Other Republicans also voiced concerns about the nominee ahead of his confirmation but got onboard with Kennedy after being given multiple reassurances by him and the administration that as secretary, he would work with Congress, support vaccines and follow the science.
After Kennedy was confirmed, Trump welcomed him to the White House where he signed an executive order establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.
‘This groundbreaking commission will be charged with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illness, reporting its findings and delivering an action plan to the American people,’ the president said.
The commission would be chaired by Kennedy in his new role as HHS secretary.