A group of Eastern Iowa residents met Tuesday in Cedar Rapids with a staff member from U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s office to urge the Iowa Republican to vote against the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary for his role in spreading misinformation about vaccine safety.
The group, organized by the advocacy organization Progress Iowa, said Kennedy is unfit to lead to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee the federal agencies that play a central role in directing U.S. public health policy, including vaccine development and immunization activities.
The renowned vaccine skeptic told NBC News last month that he would not “take away anybody's vaccines,” and has insisted he's not "anti-vaccine" despite his involvement with Children's Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine group, and repeating debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. Kennedy also undermined confidence in the measles vaccine ahead of a deadly outbreak in Samoa in 2019 and promoted AIDS falsehoods, according to reporting by the New York Times.
Diana Siguenza, a retired nurse who lives in Cedar Rapids, and Sue Cahalan, a retired physician assistant from Norway, Iowa, expressed strong opposition to RFK Jr.’s nomination, citing his lack of experience in health care and his anti-vaccination stance.
They highlighted his history with the Children's Health Defense, his involvement in lawsuits against vaccines and his travels to promote anti-vaccination views. The pair said Kennedy’s confirmation could undermine public health by eroding trust in vaccines and evidence-based medicine.
Siguenza said she fears dire consequences of his potential policies, particularly for cancer research and global health. She noted that many cancer treatments are based on vaccines that help the body recognize and fight cancer cells.
Iowa has the second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses in the nation, behind Kentucky. It also has the distinction of being the only state to report a notable increase in cancer rates in recent years.
Siguenza and Cahalan said they hope their concerns will influence Ernst’s decision.
“President Trump trusts RFK Jr. to bring more transparency to our federal public health agencies, and Senator Ernst looks forward to meeting with and vetting him,” Ernst’s office said in a statement to The Gazette.
Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined a letter signed by 29 other state attorneys general to U.S. Senate leadership urging swift confirmation of Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s new pick for U.S. Attorney General.
Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met Monday with Bondi. The 59-year-old Trump ally was part of a team of lawyers that defended the then-president during his first Senate impeachment trial, where he was accused — but not convicted — of attempting to coerce Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate then-former Vice President Joe Biden.
Bondi, who served as Florida Attorney General from 2011 to 2019, also was involved in efforts to delegitimize the results of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost to Biden, falsely claiming that Trump had “won Pennsylvania” at a news conference in Philadelphia and claiming voter fraud, according to reporting by the Tampa Bay Times.
She also served on a federal commission during Trump’s first term focused on combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis.
“President Trump made an exceptional choice with Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General,” Bird said in a statement. “Attorney General Bondi is tough, smart, and fierce. She has been a historic leader in the fight against drug abuse and human trafficking, and she will restore integrity to our federal justice system. I’ve known Attorney General Bondi both as a friend and fellow prosecutor, and I have full confidence that she will serve our country well as U.S. Attorney General.”
Iowa joined the South Carolina and Florida-led letter signed by attorneys general and attorneys general-elect from 27 other states.
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The group, organized by the advocacy organization Progress Iowa, said Kennedy is unfit to lead to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee the federal agencies that play a central role in directing U.S. public health policy, including vaccine development and immunization activities.
The renowned vaccine skeptic told NBC News last month that he would not “take away anybody's vaccines,” and has insisted he's not "anti-vaccine" despite his involvement with Children's Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine group, and repeating debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. Kennedy also undermined confidence in the measles vaccine ahead of a deadly outbreak in Samoa in 2019 and promoted AIDS falsehoods, according to reporting by the New York Times.
Diana Siguenza, a retired nurse who lives in Cedar Rapids, and Sue Cahalan, a retired physician assistant from Norway, Iowa, expressed strong opposition to RFK Jr.’s nomination, citing his lack of experience in health care and his anti-vaccination stance.
They highlighted his history with the Children's Health Defense, his involvement in lawsuits against vaccines and his travels to promote anti-vaccination views. The pair said Kennedy’s confirmation could undermine public health by eroding trust in vaccines and evidence-based medicine.
Siguenza said she fears dire consequences of his potential policies, particularly for cancer research and global health. She noted that many cancer treatments are based on vaccines that help the body recognize and fight cancer cells.
Iowa has the second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses in the nation, behind Kentucky. It also has the distinction of being the only state to report a notable increase in cancer rates in recent years.
Siguenza and Cahalan said they hope their concerns will influence Ernst’s decision.
“President Trump trusts RFK Jr. to bring more transparency to our federal public health agencies, and Senator Ernst looks forward to meeting with and vetting him,” Ernst’s office said in a statement to The Gazette.
Iowa AG urges confirmation of Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general
Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined a letter signed by 29 other state attorneys general to U.S. Senate leadership urging swift confirmation of Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s new pick for U.S. Attorney General.
Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met Monday with Bondi. The 59-year-old Trump ally was part of a team of lawyers that defended the then-president during his first Senate impeachment trial, where he was accused — but not convicted — of attempting to coerce Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate then-former Vice President Joe Biden.
Bondi, who served as Florida Attorney General from 2011 to 2019, also was involved in efforts to delegitimize the results of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost to Biden, falsely claiming that Trump had “won Pennsylvania” at a news conference in Philadelphia and claiming voter fraud, according to reporting by the Tampa Bay Times.
She also served on a federal commission during Trump’s first term focused on combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis.
“President Trump made an exceptional choice with Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General,” Bird said in a statement. “Attorney General Bondi is tough, smart, and fierce. She has been a historic leader in the fight against drug abuse and human trafficking, and she will restore integrity to our federal justice system. I’ve known Attorney General Bondi both as a friend and fellow prosecutor, and I have full confidence that she will serve our country well as U.S. Attorney General.”
Iowa joined the South Carolina and Florida-led letter signed by attorneys general and attorneys general-elect from 27 other states.
Iowans tell U.S. GOP Sen. Joni Ernst to reject RFK Jr. as health secretary
Diana Siguenza, a retired nurse who lives in Cedar Rapids, expressed strong opposition to RFK Jr.’s nomination, citing his lack of experience in health care and his anti-vaccination stance.
