RFK, Jr. Takes on Big Pharma
The United States pharmaceutical industry is unparalleled in its size, scope, and impact. Globally, it has 45% of pharmaceutical sales and leads the world in drug innovation and approvals. The pharmaceutical industry has made significant advances in increasing life expectancy, improving the quality of life, and contributing to the eradication and management of numerous diseases. They have also been one of the largest political funders in our country. In 2024 alone, they contributed over $16 million to candidates of both parties. Over the last few decades, it appears that the federal government has ceded to the pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma’s impact has not been all positive. We have watched as they have pushed puberty-destroying hormones, abortifacient drugs, mind-numbing medications, and more and more vaccines. Health and Human Services Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is pushing back. This week, he testified at the Senate Finance Committee and reiterated that HHS will answer to the American people, not the pharmaceutical companies.
Since the late 1940s, the CDC has expanded the recommended list of vaccines for children from two doses to 76 doses, to be given from birth to age 18. In the early years, vaccines wiped out terrible childhood diseases that could kill or disable children, creating trust between parents and pharmaceutical companies. However, in recent decades we have seen an increase in other vaccines, including HPV and Hepatitis B, flu, and Chicken Pox, and efforts to force children to take them in order to go to school. The COVID-19 shot, untested on children who were at low risk of serious harm from the disease, caused many parents to rethink the influence of Big Pharma.
Once Secretary Kennedy assumed his position at HHS, he released reports that further proved the Biden administration’s corruption in pushing out the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In February of 2021, Israel’s Ministry of Health informed the CDC that they were seeing significantly increased instances of myocarditis in young people who took the COVID-19 vaccine. At the same time, the United States’ Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) which tracks all adverse side effects, injuries, and death showed the same thing. Biden administration officials downplayed this data despite concerns from many Americans.
Sadly, people have lost faith in the transparency and efficacy of the CDC. Secretary Kennedy asserted that only 10% of children have the newest form of the COVID-19 shot. Additionally, only 1 in 5 adults has received the latest version. Yet, if someone publicly questions the COVID vaccine, they are labeled “anti-vaxxers.” Secretary Kennedy has stated previously:
I’ve always said during my campaign and every public statement I’ve made; I’m not going to take people’s vaccines away from them. What I’m going to do is make sure that we have good science so people can make an informed choice.
Secretary Kennedy said in the Senate hearing that he hopes to restore trust in our public health institutions. To do so, he must get rid of the old habits of hiding scientific data, ignoring the concerns of the American people, and handing over taxpayer money to pharmaceutical CEOs.
In May, the Food and Drug Administration changed the guidelines for the COVID vaccine, making it unavailable for healthy children under 5 years of age. Older children and young adults must be deemed high-risk to be eligible for the vaccine. President Trump also issued executive orders earlier this year to end COVID-19 vaccine mandates in public schools and reinstate military service members who were fired for refusing to take the vaccine. In April, the Trump administration revamped Biden’s COVID.gov website to solely report the true origins of the virus from the Wuhan lab in China. The Trump administration has worked diligently to put the right people in the right positions to oversee the policies that affect our health.
In June, Secretary Kennedy fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices due to their conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies. Eight new members were hired, many of whom had been ostracized for their dissenting views. Then, a bad apple weaseled her way into the agency. CDC Director Susan Monarez was confirmed in July of this year but was asked to resign last week due to her refusal to pull certain approvals for COVID-19 vaccines. When she did not resign, the Trump administration rightfully fired her. This caused several liberal CDC employees to walk out, including the Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis, who openly engages in risqué sexual behavior. What started as a disappointing hiring mistake turned into a much-needed purge of corrupt individuals within the CDC.
While the Senate Finance hearing mostly focused on vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic, a couple of Senators were able to ask about other important issues affecting children. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) brought up concerns with the millions of children who are overprescribed stimulants for diagnoses such as depression or ADHD. Secretary Kennedy shared her concerns and made a promise to study the long-term effects of these drugs so that parents can make better-informed decisions.
Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and James Lankford (R-OK) brought up pro-life priorities that HHS should push forward. Sen. Daines highlighted a study that shows nearly 11% of women experience serious medical complications within 30 days of taking the abortion pill mifepristone. He asked HHS to review this drug and the COVID-19-era telehealth regulations that made it more accessible. Secretary Kennedy agreed that it needs to be looked into. Sen. Lankford also put pressure on Secretary Kennedy to reinstate the rule that prohibits reproductive healthcare entities that receive Title X family planning funds from sharing the same facility with an abortion provider.
HHS Secretary Kennedy is working to reform public health agencies. Government programs should focus on sound science, genuine health care, rebuilding public trust, and ensuring that all voices have a seat at the table, not just that of Big Pharma. We will continue to provide you with the latest information on reforms from Washington, D.C., and what you can do to make your voice heard.
