Former Vice President Mike Pence has urged Senate Republicans to reject President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Mike Pence, who famously turned his back on Trump after serving under him during his first term, has now released a scathing statement on Kennedy’s nomination.
Pence, in an ironic twist, called it “deeply concerning” and labeled it a “betrayal” of the pro-life values their administration once stood for.
On Thursday, President Trump announced his decision to appoint Kennedy to the pivotal role, citing a need for reform in the way public health is managed in the United States.
“I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.
The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.
Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
In a recent MSNBC interview, Kennedy explained Trump’s specific mandate for him should he join the administration.
RFK Jr.: “Well, he’s been very specific in what he said. He wants me to do three things. One, clean up the corruption of the agencies, particularly the conflicts of interest that have turned those agencies into captive agencies for the pharmaceutical industry and the other, the food industry, the other industries that they’re supposed to be regulating.
Number two, to return those agencies to the gold standard science, the empirically-based evidence-based medicine that they were famous for when I was a kid.
Number three is to make America healthy again and to end the chronic disease epidemic. And President Trump has told me that he wants to see measurable concrete results within two years in terms of a measurable diminishment in chronic disease among America’s kids.”
In a lengthy statement, Pence framed Kennedy’s appointment as a betrayal of the pro-life values many Republicans hold dear.
Pence criticized Kennedy’s track record on abortion, citing his support for Roe v. Wade and opposition to the Dobbs decision.
Read his full statement:
“The Trump-Pence administration was unapologetically pro-life for our four years in office. There are hundreds of decisions made at HHS every day that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it, and HHS under our administration always stood for life.
I believe the nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS is an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration and should be deeply concerning to millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our nominees for decades.
For the majority of his career, RFK Jr. has defended abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy, supports overturning the Dobbs decision and has called for legislation to codify Roe v Wade. If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history.
The pro-life movement has always looked to the Republican party to stand for life, to affirm an unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.
On behalf of tens of millions of pro-life Americans, I respectfully urge Senate Republicans to reject this nomination and give the American people a leader who will respect the sanctity of life as secretary of Health and Human Services.”
NEW: Statement from Founder @Mike_Pence on the nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS. pic.twitter.com/gPvFDktycl
— Advancing American Freedom (@AmericanFreedom) November 15, 2024
