On December 10, 2024, 77 Nobel laureates signed an open letter urging the Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “s nomination as HHS Secretary, calling him 'one of the most dangerous individuals to ever be considered for a Cabinet position.” The Nobel laureates warned Kennedy 'lacks the credentials or relevant experience in medicine, science, public health, or administration,“ and that his 'consistent denial of safe, effective vaccines would put American lives at risk.” A separate letter from more than 17,000 medical professionals called Kennedy's nomination 'a clear and present danger to the nation's health." The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America all opposed the nomination.
Trump kept the nomination in place despite the warnings, and the Senate confirmed Kennedy on February 13, 2025, according to the Associated Press. Within eight months, the consequences materialized: 20,500+ health workers fired, $32 billion in cuts, the worst measles year since 1991, and 57 documented attacks on scientific integrity.
Correction (October 2, 2026): this entry gave the confirmation date as January 24, 2025; it was February 13, 2025. The entry has also been reframed around Trump's decision to keep the nomination in place, since the letters themselves are not an act of his, and its severity lowered from severe to concerning under the rubric.