President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken critic of corporate influence in health and environmental policy, as Secretary of Health and Human Services. What could it mean for public health?

Daniel Payne, Chelsea Cirruzzo, Marcia Brown, Brittany Gibson and Annie Snider report for Politico.

In short:

• Kennedy aims to overhaul U.S. health regulations, targeting corporate influence over food, chemical and vaccine safety.
• He plans to push for bans on pesticides, genetically modified organisms and certain food additives, challenging the current regulatory stance.
• Known for vaccine skepticism, Kennedy calls for reassessing vaccine safety approvals, a position that has raised alarm among health experts.

Key quote:

“When we talk about making America healthy, we really have to talk about corporate capture and the way that large corporations have captured our governmental agencies.”

— Jeff Hutt, spokesperson for the Make America Healthy Again PAC

Why this matters:

Kennedy’s proposed regulatory shifts could reshape public health protections, influencing the safety of food, drugs and vaccines. While he claims it’s about transparency, his position has alarmed health experts who argue it could dismantle trust in health institutions, undermine hard-won public health victories and leave the U.S. in regulatory limbo. Read more: Peter Dykstra: WTF RFK Jr.?