What Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as Trump's health secretary could mean for global health
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services sent a shudder through the global health community. If confirmed as HHS secretary, Kennedy will hold considerable sway over US health policies, and his reach will extend well beyond the nation’s borders.
Kennedy has listed multiple domestic issues he wants to take on in the federal government — food supplies, fluoride, raw milk and psychedelics among them — but hasn’t said much publicly about his plans for the global mission of HHS.
Health experts fear that he could undercut decades of work to control the spread of infectious diseases such as measles, polio and HIV; hamper international research collaborations; and scuttle current efforts to increase global coordination and cooperation ahead of future pandemics.
In addition to concern that Kennedy will continue to share false or harmful information, health experts said that many of his stated beliefs run counter to longstanding global health goals and that as head of HHS, he could slash the agency’s budget.
The US is the world’s largest funder of global health programs, according to the nonprofit health policy and research group KFF. In fiscal year 2024, the US spent $12.3 billion on global health, and roughly one-seventh of that – about $1.6 billion – was funneled through agencies within HHS, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
“Ultimately, the secretary is the CEO of the largest health, medical and scientific enterprise in the world,” said Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as US surgeon general under President George W. Bush.
“The world depends on us, for our science, for our emergency capabilities, for our ability to surge and help others,” Carmona said.
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