Trump picks RFK Jr. for HHS Secretary

President-Elect Donald Trump has announced he chose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in his new administration.

The HHS secretary is the administration's top health official and oversees a number of agencies that impact physicians, including the U.S. Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, which manages reimbursement rates for government health services, sets the annual Physician Fee Schedule and creates and tests value-based payment models. Also under HHS purview is the Food and Drug Administration which oversees drug development, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, crucial for public health.

Kennedy is a long-time vaccine skeptic who ran for president himself before bowing out to support Trump's candidacy. Kennedy will have to be confirmed by the Senate in order to take on the job.

Trump announced the selection November 14 on various social media platforms, saying:

"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health. The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country. Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!"