The physician governor warns Capitol Hill against confirming RFK Jr.: "The safety of our children is at stake"

This week, Hawaii's Democratic Governor and physician, Josh Green, is visiting Capitol Hill to lobby against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. In a Tuesday op-ed for The New York Times, he argued that "our children's lives depend" on preventing Kennedy from leading the agency.

Green, a former physician who entered politics, has continued practicing emergency room medicine throughout his legislative career. In 2019, as Hawaii's lieutenant governor, Green helped spearhead efforts to increase vaccination rates in Samoa amid a measles outbreak in the region. Green arrived in the nation's capital on Sunday evening to begin his meetings that will go until he returns to Hawaii on Thursday.

As the only physician governor, I must clarify what are good and bad choices for the cabinet, emphasizing that my opposition to Kennedy's appointment as head of Health and Human Services is not personal or politically motivated.

Green stated during his Washington trip that he would be discussing with lawmakers and leaders to explore a better place for RFK Jr. to be than HHS, calling his potential confirmation a bad idea.

This week, the likelihood of Kennedy's confirmation as HHS Secretary took a turn after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R–La., the incoming chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, criticized him for being "wrong" on the issue of vaccines. The criticism stems from concerns that Kennedy may seek to eliminate the polio vaccine, following news that one of his previous colleagues at Children's Health Defense, a health-focused nonprofit Kennedy previously chaired, petitioned the government in 2019 to revoke its approval.

Kennedy's anti-vaccine views have been a major focus of Green's criticism, particularly regarding his response to the measles outbreak in Samoa. According to Green and others, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, Kennedy's letter to the country's prime minister, as chairman of Children's Health Defense, suggested that the measles vaccine could have worsened the outbreak.

The Democratic governor wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on Tuesday, criticizing Kennedy's anti-vaccine stance during Samoa's measles outbreak in 2019. Kennedy, according to Greene, used false information to scare the Samoan people away from vaccinations, which ultimately hindered the country's efforts to combat the outbreak.

The success of these programs relies heavily on our dedication to truth and the effectiveness of vaccines. Therefore, it is not safe to entrust Mr. Kennedy with their direction, as the lives of our children are at stake.

Despite repeated attempts by Planet Chronicle Digital to contact Kennedy's team, they have not responded. However, in a 2023 short film, Kennedy stated that he never advised anyone not to get vaccinated and that his visit to Samoa had no connection to the polio vaccine. Additionally, during a recent interview on Capitol Hill, Kennedy expressed his support for the polio vaccine.

Supporters of Kennedy's nomination believe his proposed plans, if approved, will be grounded in reason and evidence.

Nina Teicholz, a nutrition expert and founder of The Nutrition Coalition, stated that she believes Kennedy stands for evidence-based changes to policy.

"The media is unfairly criticizing RFK Jr. without acknowledging the validity of his ideas," according to Dr. Vinay Prasad in an article published by The Free Press. "RFK Jr.'s ideas have a logical basis."

Green's office did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment before the publication deadline.