SEIU’s Verrett: RFK Jr. would put lives at risk as HHS Secretary

Trump's extreme Cabinet nominees will bring chaos rather than lasting solutions

WASHINGTON, DC - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President April Verrett made the following statement in response to President-Elect Donald Trump's recent Cabinet announcements:

"Donald Trump's Cabinet picks endanger our democracy, and now he's actually putting lives at risk by nominating RFK Jr., a known conspiracy theorist and science denier, to head HHS. As the largest union of health care workers in the nation, including nurses, doctors, CNAs, home care workers, and medical residents, SEIU members know that healthcare must be grounded in science and evidence-based medicine. Our healthcare workers put their lives on the line to protect patients during the darkest days of the pandemic, and we would have lost many more members and loved ones if it weren't for lifesaving vaccines. We will not stand silent as an outspoken anti-vaxxer who spread misinformation about autism and widespread public health interventions is poised to take control of one of our most consequential government agencies.

The next HHS Secretary will have oversight of the Affordable Care Act, our Medicare and Medicaid systems, our nation's food supply, and the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health, impacting Americans from birth through old age. It is a matter of not only public health and safety, but our national security that the next Secretary brings experience in health policy, as well as medical and scientific research, and understands the vital importance of safeguarding our frontline care workforce.

Trump's other nominees are extreme and dangerous. Governor Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and Tom Homan will destroy lives and families and upend our economy instead of seeking lasting solutions for immigration that can unify our nation. Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is an oxymoron, as he's under investigation for underage sex trafficking. And he's putting billionaire union-buster Elon Musk in charge of a new shadow government agency so Musk can further enrich himself with more government contracts!

Working people call upon Senators to demand qualified candidates to lead critical American institutions - not unscrupulous and unserious characters who seek to advance a dangerous ideology, rig the rules, and punish the poorest and most vulnerable among us."