Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as the next country secretary in the country on Thursday, his first order of commerce will be to investigate the problem of America with chronic diseases.
Pressure secretary of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News earlier that President Donald Trump would sign a decree creating a commission “Make America Health” and direct Kennedy “to investigate this chronic crisis which afflicted our country and The spirits and the bodies of the American people.
What exactly it means remains to be seen. But here are three things to watch while Kennedy takes the bar, depending on what he and Trump have said in the past:
More study on food colors or other food additives?
Maha has easily become a deeply popular slogan of Kennedy, because a large part of America is struggling with obesity and chronic diseases. The question is however to know how to proceed in a way that will not increase the federal budget or trigger an avalanche of legal challenges in the food and drug industry.
A possible avenue for Kennedy could be to call for additional security studies on certain ingredients used by manufacturers, including food colors.
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration revoked its authorization from a type of red dietary dye. “Red dye n ° 3” is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, but it has been authorized to be used by manufacturers for years because scientists did not think they have increased the risk of cancer in the man at the level generally consumed. The FDA, under President Joe Biden, acted after a long -standing pressure by consumer defenders.
But a different type, Red Dye No. 40, remains on the market and has not been studied by the FDA for more than 20 years. The FDA and health officials say that there is no evidence that it is harmful, and manufacturers of food products say that they must be able to count on ingredients generally recognized as safe.
However, health defenders argue that more can be done to examine the health impacts and or make the type of post-commerce surveillance of more common food in Europe.
All these efforts will however have significant federal resources and will be based on a workforce that Trump has promised to reduce.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testifies to a senatorial committee for health, education, labor and pensions for its unanswered confirmation on Capitol Hill, January 30, 2025, in Washington.
ROD LAMKEY / AP
Rewrite rules of discrimination for hospitals, doctors and insurers to exclude transgender protections
Kennedy did not personally focus on the issue of transgender rights. But eliminating the federal rules of health and social services that President Barack Obama and Joe Biden pushed to protect transgender Americans is a major priority for Trump and the Conservative Party.
Federal law prohibits sex discrimination, but it is up to the executive power to define specific rules that schools, insurers and hospitals must follow if they want to keep access to federal aid.
Obama sparked a fierce legal struggle during his second term when he published federal regulations aimed at protecting transgender people against discrimination in schools and medical environments. Under the rules written by the Obama Health Department and Social Services, doctors and hospitals have been informed could not refuse care for a person because of their gender identity. Insurance companies were also specifically prohibited from offering different advantages to certain groups, including transgender and living people.
Trump quickly removed Obama’s rules in his first mandate, reducing new rules that have granted exceptions to medical providers on the rules of discrimination if they cite religious objections.
President Joe Biden tried to resuscitate the initial rules of Obama, but was quickly challenged before the courts by the Republican States, referring the question to Trump. It will now be in HHS under Kennedy, if confirmed, to decide what these federal rules should say.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to be the Secretary of Health and Social Services, testifies during his confirmation audience in the Dirksen Senate Office building in Washington, DC. January 29, 2025.
Allison Dinner / EPA via Shutterstock
Facilitate parents to more easily send non -vaccinated children to public schools
The requirements of school vaccines are up to states, and currently the 50 states have laws requiring certain vaccines so that students attend public schools.
But HHS establishes the recommendations for infant vaccines followed by schools, while the Department of Education offers a vital subsidy to schools used to teach low -income or disabled children.
On the campaign track, Trump threatened to revoke spending on schools that force vaccines currently recommended by public health experts and HHS.
“I will not give a penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” said Trump last year.
Such a decision could have major implications for public health. According to the non -partisan KFF, routine vaccination rates for children in kindergarten are decreasing while exemptions are increasing, including non -religious exemptions.
While presenting himself to the presidency before aligning Trump, Kennedy rejected the numerous studies noting that infant vaccines are safe, including several studies which have demystified a myth that vaccines cause autism. When confirming the Senate, Kennedy insisted that he did not oppose vaccines but wants more studies.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a republican doctor from Louisiana, said that he was concerned about Kennedy’s past “undergoing confidence in vaccines with unspoken or deceptive arguments”. Faced with a republican primary next year, Cassidy decided to support Trump’s choice after making Kennedy heard that the two would work closely.
“In the end, the restoration of confidence in our public health establishment is too important, and I think that Mr. Kennedy can help do so,” said Cassidy.
Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, Molly Nagle and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.