'One-man Misinformation Superspreader' RFK, Jr. to Be Nominated for HHS

WASHINGTON - President-elect Trump announced today that he will put Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a well-known antivax advocate and conspiracy theorist, would guide the federal government's health, well-being, and medical programs and has signaled he would kick off information gathering efforts that experts worry could chill essential scientific research and development.

Early in his career Kennedy was an attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) but has since evolved into an anti-science figure who no longer resembles the environmentalist of decades ago.

Following is a reaction from Matthew Tejada, Senior Vice President for Environmental Health at NRDC:

"Donald Trump's plan to appoint RFK Jr. to a position overseeing vast swaths of American health should alarm every American - and especially America's parents. He has taken a dangerously anti-science turn, embracing conspiracy theories on issues from the environment to public health, with his most extreme conspiracies focused on childhood vaccinations.

"Kennedy's willingness to sow doubt about life-saving medical technologies and bedrock scientific practice makes him exactly the wrong choice for any public health job; and should fully exclude him from oversight of any federal agencies. He is a one-man misinformation superspreader.

"Americans are on the cusp of having drinking water protected against contamination from lead and forever chemicals. Instead of attacking these and other toxics that are having devastating consequences on the health of people across the nation, RFK is trumpeting conspiracy theories and attacking public health scientists. His decisions could imperil not just the health of people today, but as the head of the world's largest health science research outfit, the health of people for generations to come."

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).