Maine Sen. Collins says she supports RFK Jr. for HHS secretary
Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins says she will vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be President Donald Trump's next head of Health and Human Services.
Trump tapped RFK Jr. for director of the agency, which oversees drug, vaccine and food safety as well as Medicare and Medicaid.
Kennedy is an environmental attorney, but he holds no medical degree or certifications and has spread vaccine misinformation.
Last month, more than 15,000 physicians signed a letter, calling on the Senate to reject RFK Jr.’s nomination, including 150 in Maine.
"RFK Jr. has claimed with zero evidence that vaccines are tied to autism, despite evidence conveyed through studies over decades that have disproven such a claim,” Dr. Jay Maliboff, a retired OBGYN, said in January.
"We wish for a leader at the DHHS who will join us in supporting evidence-based science and life-saving medicine; RFK Jr. represents none of these goals,” Dr. Mary White, an internist and infectious disease specialist, said in January.
Collins says she called RFK Jr. on Monday to talk about the NIH spending cap, saying he promised that as soon as he is confirmed, he will re-examine the cap that was implemented prior to his confirmation.
A Massachusetts judge granted a temporary restraining order to block a federal spending cap on medical research.
Maine’s attorney general filed a lawsuit, along with 21 other state attorneys general, challenging the NIH funding cap.
The NIH announced Friday that federal funding for "overhead costs" for medical researchers will be capped at 15%. That money covers expenses such as electricity bills and building maintenance.
The change was set to take effect Monday, potentially affecting several Maine institutions. But it's now paused in Maine, and the 21 other states are involved in the lawsuit.
