RFK Jr. would also have the power, along with the FDA commissioner, to slow down or hamper the process by which new vaccines are evaluated, approved, and recommended. That could discourage pharmaceutical companies from developing new or reformulated vaccines.

Senate Republicans are signaling that they are open to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) despite his long-standing support of abortion rights and concerns emanating from anti-abortion voices about his selection.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) urged the Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in a Friday op-ed for the Boston Globe. “Now Donald Trump is setting Kennedy up to “go wild” as secretary of health and human services.

If confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wouldn’t have the authority to ban vaccines — but health experts warn there are other ways he could exert influence over them.

Trump's selection is sounding the alarm in the public health community and leaving the biotech and pharmaceutical industries cautious of changes to come.

He can pick a strident abortion opponent like Roger Severino, who wrote the Project 2025 chapter on HHS, as his number two.

What happens when the Trump train hits the health care establishment? There’s no doubt that President-elect Trump’s decision to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist and vaccine critic, as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has thrown the health care sector into disarray.

While the Trump administration aims to overhaul the FDA and reduce regulatory burdens to foster innovation, RJK Jr’s approach could lead to delays.