U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks recently called on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign, citing a lack of confidence in Kennedy’s ability to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Alsobrooks first announced that she planned to file a Senate resolution of Disapproval during her Sick Of It rally outside the offices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.
In less than 40 days, the Trump-Vance Administration cut more than US$1.8 billion in NIH grants, affecting research on issues from diabetes to cancer to Alzheimer’s. HHS also announced in March that it was cutting 10,000 full-time employees across health agencies, in addition to the 10,000 employees who left voluntarily.
Kennedy “has absolutely no idea about the nature of many of the cuts…And I’m convinced he doesn’t care, and I think that’s the most frightening part of it all,” Alsobrooks tells Food Tank. “There is a real sense of destabilization, chaos, and even cruelty, and I think that has been very intentional.”
Kennedy’s desire to crack down on artificial food additives or pesticides has drawn praise from some advocates working on food and agriculture issues. And Alsobrooks acknowledges that there are points of the Health Secretary’s that are worth considering, saying that it would be “intellectually dishonest” not to. But, she adds, “My father used to say even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
The Senator is also doubtful of Kennedy’s ability to follow through on any promises around these points. “Much of it is just talk, and I think that’s the misfortune of all of this,” she tells Food Tank. “I’d be very surprised if we see any of it materialize in a way that benefits the people.”
Although Alsobrooks believes that it may take a while before it’s clear just how much harm has been done, some Americans are already beginning to see the effects. One patient, she says, was forced to wait an additional four weeks before her cancer trial could begin as a result of the recent cuts. “That’s life and death,” she says.
As a growing population realizes the impacts of these decisions at the federal level, Alsobrooks believes that people—including those who voted for President Trump—will begin to speak up.
“I know that it is really scary for some,” but it’s important for voters to make their voices heard, Alsobrooks says. “I think it’s important for them to be encouraged to continue speaking out and saying that they disagree with what we’re seeing.”
Watch or listen to the full conversation with U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks to hear more about the effect that the funding cuts will have, the Senator’s concerns with Kennedy’s guidance around vaccinations, and her advice for people to take care of their mental health during these times as best they can.
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Photo courtesy of NIH Image Gallery, Wikimedia Commons
