President-elect Donald Trump has picked former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to be his secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, but local Democrat leaders are encouraging residents to contact their senator to vote against the appointment.

“I am urging that Ohioans reach out to their senators to say ‘Don’t confirm RFK, Jr., as HHS secretary,’” State Rep. Michele Grim (D., Toledo) said.

Ms. Grim was joined by state Reps. Elgin Rogers (D., Toledo) and Terrence Upchurch (D., Cleveland), as well as Toledo Dr. Jonathan Ross. A virtual call was hosted by Protect Our Care, a left-wing nonprofit that advocates for the expansion of health insurance, lower health-care costs, and the preservation of the Affordable Care Act.

“We are just now getting through a global pandemic that almost decimated America’s economy as well as public health,” Mr. Upchurch said. “Certainly now is not the time, with the strides we’ve made, to go and appoint this cabinet position of such importance to someone who is uniquely unqualified and does not have the background to run this department.”

“Robert Kennedy, Jr., has engaged in conspiracy theories when there is scientific and analytical evidence that obviously identifies contrary to everything that he has said,” he added.

Mr. Kennedy does not have a medical background but focused on protecting the environment and children’s health care as part of his own presidential campaign. Throughout his campaign, he was a staunch advocate against vaccinations and childhood immunizations and focused on lowering childhood obesity and diabetes rates. He dropped out of the race on Aug. 23 and endorsed Trump.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” a statement from Trump’s transition team said. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

HHS also oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the National Institutes of Health.

His appointment is determined by a majority vote of the U.S. Senate. Confirmations will take place in January, after the new Congress begins, but as of Monday, Ohio only has one senator ready to be sworn into office.

Trump’s presidential win promotes U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio) to the vice president position, leaving Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to fill his spot.

Despite Democrats’ concerns, Senator-elect Bernie Moreno said he thinks Mr. Kennedy is the right person for the role.

“After Americans have been misled for years by the 'experts' who are beholden to Big Pharma, RFK Jr. will put the health interests of the American people first,” Mr. Moreno wrote in a statement. “HHS desperately needs new leadership, and I am confident that President Trump nominated the right man for the job."

But Democrats are worried what the health and safety of Americans would look like under Mr. Kennedy.

“I think what impacts we’ll see is there could be less funding for our health departments, there could be some vaccine hesitancy, and I think we’ve seen that on the local level and also the state level,” Ms. Grim said. “... We’re seeing these childhood diseases come back. We’ve seen measles outbreaks, pertussis outbreaks, whopping cough.”

In addition to the resurgence of childhood diseases, Dr. Ross said he is worried the future administration will work to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make it harder for people to qualify for Medicaid coverage.

“You don’t want the doctors and nurses judging you as a human being to decide whether you get health care or not. That’s not something any of us want,” Dr. Ross said. “We should say, ‘If you can fog a mirror, you’re a human being, and if you can fog a mirror, you deserve health care.’”

Although the future of American health care is uncertain, the state can pass its own legislation to protect Medicaid and encourage vaccinations.

In Ohio, former Gov. John Kasich expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act despite opposition from Republicans. Medicaid funding is also controlled by the state, not the federal government.

“My big fear in this particular case is, will we have a governor who’s willing to stand up to some of the right-wing people who want to bow at Trump’s feet for anything he happens to recommend,” Dr. Ross said.

Ms. Grim said their role, as Democratic legislators, is to push back on any attacks toward repealing or limiting eligibility for Medicaid and the ACA.

First Published November 25, 2024, 8:03 p.m.