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Pritzker Discusses Food Prices

Pritzker Discusses Food Prices

Newly confirmed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wasted no time in making waves at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), telling a packed room of federal health workers on Tuesday that his tenure would be marked by an uncompromising investigation into the nation’s chronic disease crisis. “Nothing is going to be off limits,” Kennedy declared, signaling a departure from long-held public health orthodoxy.

The speech, held at HHS headquarters and meant for staff only, was accompanied by a livestream link that quickly spread beyond its intended audience. With mass firings and resignations already reshaping the federal workforce—including the dismissal of some 700 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees last week—Kennedy’s remarks landed at a moment of significant upheaval. In a surprising gesture, he invited staff members to meet him afterward, noting in an email that “selfies are welcome,” a touch that underscored both his populist appeal and the shifting culture within HHS.

At the heart of Kennedy’s address was a promise to reconsider medical and environmental factors long regarded as settled science. He announced that HHS would convene panels representing a wide spectrum of viewpoints to investigate the rise in chronic disease, identifying a list of “possible factors” that have, in his words, been “formally taboo or insufficiently scrutinized.”

Among those factors: the childhood vaccine schedule and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a widely prescribed class of antidepressants. Kennedy’s willingness to scrutinize these areas raised immediate concerns among critics, who argue that such rhetoric risks undermining public trust in established medicine. While no reputable studies have linked vaccines or psychiatric medications to the explosion of chronic illnesses such as autism or obesity, Kennedy’s past skepticism toward vaccines has made him a polarizing figure in public health discourse.

Other factors on Kennedy’s investigative list include electromagnetic radiation, herbicides, pesticides, ultra-processed foods, artificial additives, allergies, microplastics, and industrial chemicals found in non-stick cookware. While some of these environmental concerns have been the subject of ongoing research, Kennedy’s broad approach suggests a willingness to challenge longstanding regulatory assumptions.

Notably, his remarks on vaccines appear to contradict his Senate testimony just last month, where he assured skeptical lawmakers that he supports federal immunization recommendations. “I support vaccines. I support the vaccine schedule. I support good science,” he stated at the time. Now, by placing childhood vaccinations under renewed scrutiny, Kennedy has left both his critics and supporters questioning how far his review will go.

The overwhelming consensus among medical experts remains clear: childhood vaccinations are a crucial tool in preventing life-threatening diseases such as measles, polio, and whooping cough. The same is true for SSRIs, which have been extensively studied and shown to be effective for millions battling depression and anxiety. While Kennedy’s call for inquiry may resonate with those distrustful of government and pharmaceutical interests, the risk is that it fuels public skepticism at a time when confidence in institutions is already fragile.

Written by Mark Stevens - February 27, 2025