RFK Jr.’s Record as a Progressive Must be Reviewed by Senate Conservatives

Many Americans are concerned with President Donald Trump’s recent nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The decision to nominate Kennedy has been met with unease amongst many within the science and medical communities. They have expressed their specific concerns tied to Mr. Kennedy’s previous anti-vaccine stances, his opposition to fluoride in drinking water, and his opposition to genetically modified foods. Individuals within the legal reform community have also expressed their own concerns with confirming RFK Jr., a plaintiff’s attorney, tied to his long history of working advancing costly mass tort lawsuits.

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance shares many of these same concerns. As such, the Senate confirmation process must fully vet RFK Jr. and determine what sort of cabinet secretary he plans to be for the nation. Another aspect of RFK Jr.’s past that should be fully vetted by conservative senators before RFK Jr.’s nomination is voted on by the U.S. Senate is his life-long allegiance to a values system opposed to the principles of limited government and free enterprise. He should not be given a free pass for his supposed change of heart.

This has been largely ignored by a large portion of conservative media. Many have chosen to believe a convenient narrative that RFK Jr.’s inclusion in Trump’s orbit is in itself a direct rebuttal to today’s current progressive platform. Mr. Kennedy’s decision to endorse Trump was merely an act of political convenience, as his own independent bid sputtered. None of it emanated from a change of heart towards conservative principles. RFK Jr. has long wanted an opportunity to make a mark on influencing public policy in Washington, D.C. related to health and wellness. His endorsement for President and support on the campaign trail appears to have given him just such an opportunity to do so.

The fact remains that RFK Jr. doesn’t just come from a long lineage of progressives – such as his uncles, President John F. Kennedy and the late Senator Ted Kennedy, or his father, Robert F. Kennedy. He himself has been an active life-long progressive activist who acknowledged being a such an agenda was part of his identity before announcing his candidacy for president as an independent.

A quick online search will lead to volumes of RFK Jr.’s federal campaign contributions here. They are littered up and down with donations to progressive campaigns. If conservatives are truly concerned about changing the stranglehold progressives have on the federal bureaucracy, it is unconscionable that senators would punt on a thorough examination of RFK Jr.’s record and give him a free pass. His laundry list of bad monetary endorsements for progressive politicians is not wiped away by his one ringing endorsement for President Trump.

Others may see Mr. Kennedy as a change agent whose catchy Make America Healthy Again slogan fits into the anti-establishment and anti-status quo sentiment needed to finally “drain the swamp.” Many believe such an agenda may slow down the vast HHS bureaucracy that includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both agencies caught the ire of many within the conservative movement for their COVID related mandates, introduced by Dr. Anthony Fauci and other CDC officials.

However, Michelle Obama’s campaign of healthy eating was routinely mocked and ridiculed by small government folks. They rightly noted that  government should stay out of the food choices of Americans.  Educating Americans about healthy choices may indeed be a role for government. However, RFK Jr. should not get the conservative movement’s approval to bring back the Obama administration’s nanny state tactics merely because he uses right-wing sloganeering.

RFK Jr. also proposes banning pharmaceutical advertisements.  Not only would this policy contradict the First Amendment, it would increase the stigma around certain medications. It would lead to a less informed public, who would be too wary about having conversations with their doctors about what’s best for them. In such a world, patients might just blindly accept what’s prescribed, rather than asking about alternatives – a paradigm RFK Jr. and his supporters ostensibly oppose.

Most conservatives can and should appreciate the promise of a better four years under President Trump. However, it shouldn’t be assumed that RFK Jr. has adopted conservative principles overnight. Mr. Kennedy’s past history as a leftist deserves a closer look, as he’s been on the opposite side of many of the nation’s most important political and policy fights for much of his lifetime.

President Trump has an important mandate as he starts his second term. America, as a nation, has a unique opportunity to rebound from the disastrous Biden agenda of the last four years. Let’s make sure to not cede policy leadership to any progressives, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who may be cozying themselves up to President Trump in efforts to execute the change they desire at the executive agencies they have long wished to lead.