Now officially secretary of the Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump’s second administration, Robert Kennedy Jr., was sworn in Thursday in a ceremony that proceeded with Trump signing an executive order creating a Make America Healthy Again Commission, HHS announced.
The HHS secretary will head the commission that mainly focuses on children’s health, according to the White House.
The U.S. Senate earlier confirmed Kennedy’s appointment by a vote of 52-48, after intense questioning on his views on vaccine and public health policy, CNN reported.
Administration of $2T HHS Budget
As department secretary, Kennedy will oversee all HHS divisions and their programs and activities funded by close to a $2 trillion budget.
The agencies under the secretary include National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Career Track Record
Coming from a long lineage of prominent U.S. politicians, Kennedy brings to the HHS his advocacy of children’s health and environmental causes. He is a recipient of the “Hero of the Planet” award from TIME Magazine.
Kennedy is an environmental lawyer who pursued corporate and local communities’ compliance with the Clean Water Act. During his 40-year career in the private sector, he founded the Waterkeeper Alliance, wherein he served as its chairman and legal counsel. He is also the founder of the mass membership organization Children’s Health Defense and had served as its chairman and chief litigation counsel.
Kennedy graduated from Harvard University, after which he studied at the London School of Economics and received a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He also holds a master’s degree in environmental law from Pace University School of Law.
