Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) broke with the Democratic Party to endorse President-elect Donald Trump’s move to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump tapped Kennedy to helm the federal health agency on Thursday, invoking instant condemnation from top Democrats who have characterized the long-time environmental lawyer as anti-vaccine and a “fringe conspiracy theorist.” Polis was not one of them, posting a series of praises explaining his support for Kennedy.
Declaring he was “excited” by the news, Polis expressed hope that Kennedy would inject “personal choice” into vaccine requirements and shared he was “optimistic” that the prospective HHS secretary could break up “big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly.”
The Colorado Democrats’ words of praise for Kenendy come despite his public antipathy to the incoming Trump administration. After Trump won the election on Nov. 5, Polis swiftly announced an alliance called the Governors Safeguarding Democracy which aims to push back on the next Republican administration.
But that clearly hasn’t stopped him from backing Kennedy, with enthusiasm that couldn’t be farther from his colleagues’ rhetoric in the Senate.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) blasted the news Trump had nominated Kennedy to lead the HHS.
“There’s no telling how far an anti-vaxxer & fringe conspiracy theorist like RFK Jr. could set America back in terms of public health, reproductive rights, research, & more,” she said.
Polis responded to criticism of RFK Jr. in a follow-up X post as he clarified that “I am vaccinated as is my family. I will hold any HHS Secretary to the same high standard of protecting and improving public health.”
While Kennedy has often expressed concern over a 1986 law that made vaccine manufacturers immune from any financial liabilities, meaning people cannot sue the companies in question for harm that results from inoculation, he has also noted that he is vaccinated. The long-time health advocate has argued that he only wants to conduct vaccine safety studies and investigate federal data on vaccine efficacy because he believes vaccines should be tested “like other medicines.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: "We passed the law in this country called FICA in 1986 that made it illegal to sue a vaccine company no matter how reckless they are, no matter how negligent they are, no matter how grievous your injury, you cannot sue them.
When I was a kid I only had 3… pic.twitter.com/LBdCEPMavB— Camus (@newstart_2024) September 11, 2024
“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away. People ought to have a choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information,” he said during an interview with NBC earlier this month.
Despite the Democratic backlash from Kennedy’s plans to push for “safe vaccines,” among other health priorities, Polis pointed to his goals of divesting federal health agencies of corporate influence as a good sign for the country.
The Colorado governor celebrated a quote from Kennedy saying “In some categories, there are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA that are – that have to go, that are not doing their job, they’re not protecting our kids.”
“YES!,” Polis responded. “The entire nutrition regime is dominated by big corporate ag rather than human health and they do more harm than good.”
This isn’t the first time Polis, who is seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential contender, has shown a willingness to butt heads with his party.
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After President Joe Biden announced in May plans to place tariffs on $18 billion of imports from China, Polis broke with the Democratic Party to criticize the policy.
“This is horrible news for American consumers and a major setback for clean energy,” he posted on X. “Tariffs are a direct, regressive tax on Americans and this tax increase will hit every family.”
