DENVER — Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now America’s top health official. Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate on a largely party-line vote Thursday as the new U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy is a key ally of President Donald Trump and was endorsed by Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis after the presidential election.
“The problem with RFK is that he says some things that people can that everyone can get behind,” Democratic State Sen. Kyle Mullica said. “That we want a healthier community, that we want to get sugars out of our foods, and that we want healthier foods too. We can get behind that, but then he follows it up with trying to spread disinformation.”
Polis has said he supports Kennedy because of the nutritional and anti-pharmaceutical messages he’s shared. Though he has said Kennedy is wrong in spreading vaccine disinformation.
Kennedy has said vaccines cause autism, the COVID-19 vaccine was designed to control people with microchips and that COVID-19 was perhaps bioengineered to spare Jewish people.
“RFK is not qualified for this position with his misinformation,” Mullica said. “He’s not qualified for his position based on statements he’s made, and now he’s at one of the highest-level positions in the federal government with the platform to spread even more misinformation that’s gonna put our communities at risk.”
Mullica is uniquely qualified on the subject. He is a legislator and an emergency room nurse.
Public health experts worry about the influence Kennedy could now have over federal vaccine policy, including reducing the federal budget for vaccine purchases or development and even defunding the CDC Vaccines for Children program.
“We have scientists and experts in this area and right now we have a guy that just got confirmed that wants to cut their budget,” Mullica said.
In Colorado, vaccine hesitancy is already an issue. CDC data shows in the 2023-2024 school year, Colorado ranked 45/50 for the percentage of kindergartners vaccinated for polio. The state ranked 44th in diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccinations and 43rd in measles vaccinations.
Colorado is unlikely to add vaccine mandates, according to Mullica, who spearheaded previous vaccine legislation in 2020.
He said state legislators are looking at what they can do to combat any vaccine misinformation, while also ruling out a mandate.
“We’re in conversations right now of what that looks like,” Mullica said. “I think it’s obviously making sure that we’re doing all that we can around combating the misinformation campaigns and putting facts out there is the first step.”
Polis celebrated the nomination in a statement to 9NEWS.
“Governor Polis congratulates Secretary Kennedy and calls on him to quickly approve our application – which has been with the FDA for too long – to import prescription drugs from Canada to save Coloradans money. The Governor also looks forward to working with the Secretary on healthy diet and nutrition to reduce chronic disease, and holding him to his word that he won’t interfere with lifesaving vaccines and lowering costs of prescription drugs.”
