Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, campaigned with President-elect Donald Trump after suspending his own independent presidential bid, and the two of them agree on a number of issues, like their conspiracy theories on vaccination. But there's an issue — Kennedy is a former Democrat, from one of the most pedigreed Democratic political families, and he holds a number of positions that aren't in line with the GOP, like environmental protection, and regulating chemicals and preservatives in food.
This may be why Trump has taken great care to staff the rest of the agency with committed Republicans who will box Kennedy in should he try to stray too far from the policy goals of the rest of the administration, Politico reported on Wednesday.
"Transition officials plan to install several longtime GOP allies in senior roles across the health department, filling out key parts of Kennedy’s leadership team well before he could be confirmed as Health and Human Services secretary," reported Adam Cancryn and David Lim. A half dozen GOP operatives privy to the transition told Politico, "The push aims to surround Kennedy with conservative policymakers who can compensate for his lack of government experience and MAGA credentials — while also ensuring the White House can keep close tabs on an HHS nominee who many Trump aides still don’t fully trust."
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Already, Trump has named some notorious GOP figures to key health posts below Kennedy. For example, to head up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a key HHS agency that took a leading role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, he is naming Dave Weldon, a former Florida congressman known for his anti-abortion policy and for his role in the Terri Schiavo controversy.
While public health officials broadly fear Kennedy could put America at risk by undermining vaccine policy, he has already made plans for some other policies that don't line up smoothly with typical GOP orthodoxy. For instance, he wants to reform medical billing practices that have overcharged Medicare for decades, a policy at least as much in the Democratic camp as the GOP one.
These syncretic policy attitudes have unnerved some GOP lawmakers. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who has taken a front and center role in helping some of Trump's other controversial nominees, has expressed worry about Kennedy's opposition to corn additives in food, and the implications that might have for the economy of his state.
