A total of 77 Nobel Prize laureates have called on the Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), warning that his leadership would endanger public health and undermine scientific credibility.
The letter, published in the New York Times on Monday, was drafted by Richard Roberts, who won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, was described as an unprecedented step for the laureates, who typically steer clear of political controversies.
“These political attacks on science are very damaging,” Roberts stated. “You have to stand up and protect it.”
Kennedy, who has been a vocal critic of vaccines and mainstream medical practices, has drawn ire from the scientific community for promoting alternative medicine. The letter specifically called out and condemned his claims, including the unfounded link between vaccines and autism, his denial of established science on HIV and AIDS, and his assertion that the coronavirus was racially targeted.
“Placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences,” the laureates wrote.
Kennedy has also been openly antagonistic toward the very agencies he would oversee, including the FDA, CDC, and NIH. He has previously called for vaccine scientists to face imprisonment and vowed to overhaul these agencies, threatening mass firings.
“The leader of DHHS should continue to nurture and improve — not to threaten — these important and highly respected institutions,” the letter continued.
On Monday night, a spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team slammed the letter’s authors: “Americans are sick and tired of the elites telling them what to do and how to do it. Kennedy will enact President Trump’s agenda to restore the integrity of our healthcare and Make America Healthy Again.”
Read the letter in full below:
December 9th, 2024
To Members of the United States Senate:
We, the undersigned Nobel Laureates, are writing to ask you to oppose the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The proposal to place Mr. Kennedy in charge of the federal agencies responsible for protecting the health of American citizens and for conducting the medical research that benefits our country and the rest of humanity has been widely criticized on multiple grounds.
In addition to his lack of credentials or relevant experience in medicine, science, public health, or administration, Mr. Kennedy has been an opponent of many health -protecting and life-saving vaccines, such as those that prevent measles and polio; a critic of the well-established positive effects of fluoridation of drinking water; a promoter of conspiracy theories about remarkably successful treatments for AIDS and other diseases; and a belligerent critic of respected agencies (especially the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health). The leader of DHHS should continue to nurture and improve – not threaten – these important and highly respected institutions and their employees.
In view of his record , placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences, in both the public and commercial sectors.
We strongly urge you to vote against the confirmation of his appointment as Secretary of the DHHS.
77 Nobel Laureates in Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, and Economics
