All eyes were on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today in his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
People on the left and the right have taken potshots at Mr. Kennedy over past statements down through the years.
One respected conservative editorial page attacked Mr. Kennedy for his views on climate change, and argued that he prevented New York from drilling oil and gas in his days as an environmental lawyer.
That may well be true. But it has nothing to do with the duties and responsibilities of the Health and Human Services Secretary.
Here’s where I come out on the RFK nomination: I support it. Why? Because President Donald Trump wants him to run HHS.
Mr. Trump won the election, convincingly. He has a right to his nominees, barring any clear personal legal problems. And Mr. Kennedy has said time and again that he will execute President Trump’s policies at HHS.
This may be an old-fashioned viewpoint, but that’s the way the system is supposed to work.
Mr. Trump won the election, not Mr. Kennedy. Trump tells Kennedy what he wants at HHS — and Kennedy is there to implement Trump’s vision.
Things he said years ago and has now backed off, such as autism and vaccinations, are unimportant. Because people do change. And because he has assured the President that he will carry out the President’s policies.
One example of that showed up at the hearing today on the question of Medicaid.
Medicaid has gotten too big with 10 million more people than pre-COVID. Total spending has grown by 60% to $963 billion — a sum larger than the defense budget.
And it’s quite likely that Mr. Trump will restore incentives to work for the able-bodied, and that includes Medicaid — which is supposed to be a poverty program for those who are physically incapable of work.
Mr. Kennedy addressed his desire to reform and reduce Medicaid — as per President Trump’s policy — several times during the hearing.
“Our ship is sinking. Our 60% increase in Medicaid over the past four years – it’s the biggest budget line, and it’s growing faster than any other… We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world… This is an existential threat economically, to our military, our health, to our sense of well-being, and it is a priority for President Trump. And that’s why he asked me to run the agency, and if I’m privileged to be confirmed that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
President Trump asked him — and, if he’s privileged to be confirmed, that’s exactly what he will do. That’s how our Cabinet system works.
And, by the way, RFK is going to have some really smart people on his team. Sabarni Chatterjee, who will run the National Institutes of Health. And Marty Makary, who will run the Federal Drug Administration. These will be top-flight grade-A lieutenants who will assist Mr. Kennedy.
Kennedy also emphasized time and again that he wants HHS to be completely transparent and a major provider of reliable health-related information.
And, by the way, if he can get hospitals and doctors to provide transparent prices for their services, that would be a great leap forward in holding down health costs.
And then, finally, I confess to liking the fact that Mr. Kennedy is a Democrat, or at least a former Democrat, in President Trump’s Republican Cabinet. There’s just something about having a Kennedy serve under President Trump that strikes my fancy.
But, at the end of the day, Mr. Trump won the election, big time. He is going to enact his policies, using his designated advisers and agency heads. And, if they don’t understand that, they will soon be gone.
Get it? I got it.
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