On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch swore in Robert Kennedy Jr. as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. The ceremony was broadcast on national television channels.
The ceremony took place in the Oval Office of the White House in the presence of US President Donald Trump. The American leader assured that Kennedy Jr. is “an ardent defender of children’s health, freedom of speech, democracy and peace.” “He is fully committed to keeping dangerous chemicals out of the environment and our food supply,” Trump emphasized. “The United States spends more money on health care than any other country, but every year we get sicker,” he added, emphasizing that the new secretary must correct this situation.
In his speech, Kennedy Jr. welcomed Trump’s decision to effectively suspend the work of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). As he emphasized, the agency “was captured by the military-industrial complex” and “has become an ominous carrier of totalitarianism and war around the world.” He also noted that the influence of the military-industrial complex in the United States has grown significantly.
On Thursday, the Senate of Congress confirmed Kennedy Jr. for the post in question. 52 senators voted for his candidacy, 48 voted against. Kennedy Jr., 71, is the nephew of the 35th US President John F. Kennedy. During the last presidential election, Kennedy Jr., who was previously a member of the Democratic Party, ran for president as an independent candidate. He later decided to support Republican Trump, explaining this by the similarity of positions on key issues, including freedom of speech and the need for economic independence.