First, my confession. In a post-election, pre-Thanksgiving piece Testing 1-2-3 I argued that Trump’s absurdly unqualified nominees requiring Senate “consent” were purposefully absurd as a Trump power play to leverage the Senate into recess. My thinking was that there were enough “serious” Republicans that would never consent to these professionally and personally unqualified nominees, but Trump and the House would coerce the Senate to open the door to “recess appointments” without “advice and consent.” Boy, did I swing and miss on that in estimating that Republican Senators included a few vertebrates. I’m left wondering how any manage to stand upright at all. It’s clear now that no recess will be necessary — the former world’s greatest deliberative body will be approving the entire clown show.
Before I visit the latest voluntary abandonment of personal respectability, I can’t help but flashback to Mitch McConnell’s stern condemnation of Donald Trump’s coup attempt immediately after working his Republican caucus to NOT find the Orange King guilty (and banish him from public office) after his second impeachment. His speech would have been an impressive prelude to McConnell’s leading the conviction the 45th President but now stands only as a right and proper obituary to his once honorable Grand Old Party and sort of a joke. His latest act of boldness — one of three votes to unsuccessfully deny alcoholic sexual abuser Pete Hegseth control of the world’s most complex organization. Mitch McConnell — hoping we’ll forget who holds the primary blame for Trump 2.0.
Yesterday, in a similar manner, Physician-Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisianna voted to support Robert Kennedy, Jr. in his bid to become Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, an obvious “nut job” with an affinity for dead whales, dead bears, and possibly dead children given his long record of vaccine disinformation will now, in all likelihood, drive the U.S. Public Health and health research infrastructure to crash and burn to teach those educated “elites” a lesson. This on the heels of a coronavirus pandemic in which the U.S. led the world in total cases and total deaths (1.2 million), and with bird flu mutating in wild (and maybe human) populations.
The story, however, is not about how Kennedy is so spectacularly unqualified for this role, but rather how Republican Senators as a group, including and especially physician Bill Cassidy in this particular case, seemingly have no personal or professional boundaries that can restrain them from caving in to Donald Trump’s wishes no matter the possible consequences. And like Mitch McConnell following his vote to acquit Trump in January 2021, Cassidy is compelled to try and explain the surrender of his personal ethics and Senatorial duty to try and convince us he is not just another run-of-the-mill Republican sycophant. I provide his lengthy attempt to rationalize his vote for your reading pleasure in tiny font to demonstrate how little respect he has left.
Cassidy began his address by revealing that his office received thousands upon thousands of messages about Kennedy, and that many of them disagreed wholeheartedly.
But the unifying factor is that they all desire the best for our country, even though they differ from each other so much. And maybe that kind of frames my feelings about this nomination. For context, before entering politics, before ever thinking about running for political office, I practiced medicine for 30 years in a public hospital for the uninsured, caring for those who otherwise would not have been able to afford the access to the care that I provided. After seeing patients die from vaccine preventable diseases, I dedicated much of my time to vaccine research and immunization programs, personally witnessing the safety monitoring and the effectiveness of immunization. Put simply, vaccines save lives. This is the context that informed me when considering RFK as a nominee to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. It was a decision I studied exhaustively, I took very seriously, and as I said I would, I spoke with Mr. Kennedy not once, but multiple times over the weekend, including this morning. We had in-depth conversations about the medical literature, about the science behind the safety of vaccines, he referred me to studies and to people, I reviewed them and spoke to those whom he mentioned I should speak to. Now, the most notable opponents of Mr. Kennedy were pediatricians on the front lines of our children’s health who regularly have to combat misinformation, combating vaccine skepticism with correct information, correct information that comes from their education, their training and experience as physicians. They are aware of the falling vaccine rates and the inevitability of increasing hospitalizations and deaths of children from vaccine preventable diseases. They are aware that children are now contracting diseases that they would not have contracted if the child was vaccinated.
Now, I heard from others impassioned about the need to address chemicals in our food, and a belief that we are victims of large, impersonal forces maximizing profits while sacrificing our health. And there is evidence for that. Although food safety is principally a USDA concern, I strongly agree that this is an issue society must address. Other RFK supporters are concerned regarding environmental risk. They fear these risks are being ignored by authorities. Mr. Kennedy’s history of environmental activism motivates their support. I pointed out that the Environmental Protection Agency monitors this, not the Department of Health and Human Services, but they still feel that he can make a difference.
So as I looked how to resolve this, I return to where I began. Would it be possible to have Mr. Kennedy collaborate in helping public health agencies earn the trust of the American people? Now regarding vaccines, Mr. Kennedy has been insistent that he just wants good science and to ensure safety. But on this topic, the science is good. The science is credible. Vaccines save lives. They are safe. They do not cause autism. There are multiple studies that show this. They are a crucial part of our nation’s public health response. But as someone who’s discussed immunizations with thousands of people, I do recognize that many mothers need reassurance that the vaccine their child is receiving is necessary, effective, and most of all, safe.
While I’m aligned with Mr. Kennedy as regards ultra-processed food, reforming NIH and taking on chronic disease, once more, it leaves vaccines. Now, Mr. Kennedy and the administration reached out seeking to reassure me regarding their commitment to protecting the public health benefit of vaccination. To this end, Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed that he and I would have an unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship if he is confirmed. We will meet or speak multiple times a month. This collaboration will allow us to work well together and therefore to be more effective. Mr. Kennedy has asked for my input into hiring decisions at HHS beyond Senate confirmed positions, and this aspect of the collaboration will allow us to represent all sides of those folks who are contacting me over this past weekend. He has also committed that he would work within current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems. If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations without changes. CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism. Mr. Kennedy and the administration also committed that this administration will not use the subversive techniques used under the Biden administration like “sue and settle” to change policies enacted by Congress without first going through Congress. Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed to a strong role of Congress. Aside from he and I meeting regularly, he will come before the Health Committee on a quarterly basis if requested. He committed that the Health Committee chair, whether it’s me or someone else, may choose a representative on any board or commission formed to review vaccine safety. If he is confirmed, HHS will provide a 30-day notice to the Health Committee if the agency seeks to make changes to any of our federal vaccine safety monitoring programs and Health Committee will have the option to call a hearing to further review.
These commitments, and my expectation that we can have a great working relationship to make America healthy again is the basis of my support. He will be the secretary, but I believe he will also be a partner in working for this end. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed, I will use my authority as chairman of the Senate Committee with oversight of HHS to rebuff any attempt to remove the public’s access to lifesaving vaccines without ironclad, causational scientific evidence that can be accepted and defended before the mainstream scientific community and before Congress. I will watch carefully for any effort to wrongfully sew public fear about vaccines between confusing references of coincidence and anecdote.
But my support is built on assurances that this will not have to be a concern, and that he and I can work together to build an agenda to make America healthy again. We need a leader at HHS who will guide President Trump’s agenda to make America healthy again. Based on Mr. Kennedy’s assurances on vaccines and his platform to positively influence Americans health, it is my consideration that he will get this done. As I’ve said, it’s been a long, intense process, but I’ve assessed it as I would assess a patient as a physician.
Ultimately, restoring trust in our public health institution is too important, and I think Mr. Kennedy can help get that done. As chairman of the Senate Committee with oversight authority of his position, I will do my best to make sure that that is what we accomplish. I want Mr. Kennedy to succeed in making America healthy again. His success will be tied to the health of our nation. He has the opportunity to address the most pertinent issues affecting Americans’ health. We also need to reform institutions like FDA and NIH. And those, as already been indicated, are my priorities as chairman of the Health Committee. I look forward to his support in accomplishing this. If confirmed, I look forward to working together with Mr. Kennedy to achieve President Trump’s mission of improving the health of all Americans. And with that, I yield.
This is, of course, all hogwash — a lesson in self-delusion. Most Interestingly, the very situation which is requiring that Doctor Cassidy demean himself so thoroughly and shamefully — Donald Trump as President making insane nominations — is the simple result of Mitch McConnell demeaning himself so thoroughly and shamefully by fleeing from his duty to convict Donald Trump in 2021 thus assuring he could never serve as president again. I have to say that both McConnell and Cassidy (and Thom Tillis after pushing through Hegseth as well) would have fared far better by simply going into hiding for a while — their lame attempts to explain their reasoning with public statements after-the-fact only make them look more pathetic. Cassidy literally says beginning his rationalization that the people he heard from in support and in objection to Kennedy “all desire what’s best for our country,” as if these differing public opinions were the only source of information that he AS A PHYSICIAN had to consider in deciding whether we go with the “germ theory” of disease or not. Cowardice and ridiculous all at once. Cowardiculous — now the brand of the Republican Party.
I think spineless sycophants is the term best applied!