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Summary

Thom Tillis’s confirmation vote enabled Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s dangerous health policies, prioritizing cost-cutting over public safety. Kennedy’s leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services has led to reckless decisions, including promoting Vitamin A as a measles treatment, appointing unqualified individuals, and firing CDC vaccine advisory board members, weakening disease prevention efforts. Tillis’s vote gave Kennedy the power to implement these misguided policies, with consequences that will continue unless leaders prioritize medical expertise over financial convenience.

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Trump’s Risky Health Pick: How RFK Jr.’s Policies Are Endangering Public Safety

When President Donald Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in early 2025, the medical community reacted with alarm. Kennedy, notorious for his anti-vaccine activism, now holds the highest position in the nation’s health agency. His policies are not only reckless but also dangerously uninformed, putting millions at risk, spreading misinformation, and undoing decades of progress in public health.

Despite strong opposition from health experts, researchers, and former officials, Senate Republicans confirmed Kennedy in a 52-48 party-line vote. The only Republican to vote against him, Senator Mitch McConnell, warned that Kennedy’s leadership could “dismantle decades of progress in public health.” But Senator Thom Tillis ignored these warnings and played a critical role in pushing Kennedy’s appointment forward, choosing to prioritize financial efficiency over medical expertise. He did not challenge Kennedy’s conspiratorial history, nor did he demand real qualifications. Instead, he justified his vote by saying he hoped Kennedy would “go wild” in reducing healthcare costs, without considering the profound consequences.

Kennedy wasted no time implementing his misguided policies. One of his most harmful decisions was forcing the CDC to revise its measles treatment guidelines, misleading the public with the false claim that Vitamin A could prevent measles infections. This assertion lacks any scientific support, yet Kennedy pushed it forward. The result? Children hospitalized due to Vitamin A toxicity. Doctors in Texas reported cases of severe liver damage, extreme headaches, and increased intracranial pressure—severe conditions that can lead to permanent neurological impairment. These unnecessary medical emergencies happened because Kennedy placed pseudoscience over real medicine, and Tillis allowed him to do so.

If Tillis had prioritized public safety over political loyalty, Kennedy would never have been in a position to make such reckless and uninformed decisions about national health policy. Instead, Tillis disregarded medical experts, dismissed public concerns, and directly enabled the implementation of dangerous health policies. His failure to act responsibly has already led to real harm, and the consequences will only escalate unless leadership demands accountability.

Kennedy’s incompetence extends beyond measles treatment. He appointed David Geier, a discredited figure with no medical license, as a senior data analyst at the Department of Health and Human Services. Geier has been disciplined for practicing medicine without a license and has long promoted the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. His father, Mark Geier, lost his medical license after misdiagnosing autistic children and prescribing dangerous hormone treatments.

Despite this disturbing record, Kennedy granted Geier access to sensitive vaccine safety data, raising serious concerns about the integrity of public health policy. Senator Maggie Hassan condemned the appointment, calling Geier a “fraudster” and warning that his involvement could jeopardize vaccine research and federal health regulations. Kennedy has also fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, claiming vaccine advisory panels are “rubber stamps for industry profit-taking agendas.” However, independent investigations confirm that U.S. vaccine policy is guided by scientific research, not corporate influence. By eliminating the experts responsible for safeguarding immunization practices, Kennedy has undermined protections against preventable disease outbreaks, leaving millions vulnerable.

Kennedy’s leadership is systematically dismantling trust in public health, weakening medical safeguards, and spreading dangerous misinformation. But the blame does not rest on him alone. Thom Tillis played an essential role in allowing this crisis to unfold. His confirmation vote empowered Kennedy to impose reckless policies, destabilizing public health at a national level. His failure to challenge Kennedy’s lack of expertise has led to avoidable hospitalizations, public confusion, and an increased risk of disease outbreaks.

The question Americans must now ask is: How many more lives must be put in danger before our leaders choose science over political loyalty?