Kennedy: 'I'm Not Going to Take Away Anybody's Vaccines'

The details of his job in Donald Trump's next administration have been contested, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been angling for a major role overseeing federal health agencies. Kennedy said last week that Trump has promised him control of the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, and others, Salon reports. Kennedy has brought up being "White House health czar." That sort of job has caused concern because of his anti-vaccine stances. On Wednesday, Kennedy offered reassurance. "I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines," he told NBC News.

"If vaccines are working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away," Kennedy said. He added that people should have a choice on vaccines and availability to reliable information about them. "So I'm going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them." Trump, on the other hand, had suggested days ago that he might ban certain vaccines, saying he'll decide after consulting Kennedy and other people. Kennedy added a wrinkle Wednesday when he told MSNBC that "entire departments" of the FDA need to be shut down that aren't "protecting our kids." He mentioned "the nutrition department," per the Hill.

The co-chair of Trump's transition team said Kennedy will not be named head of HHS. But at his recent Madison Square Garden rally, Trump told the crowd: "I'm gonna let him go wild on health. I'm gonna let him go wild on the food. I'm gonna let him go wild on medicines." One health care lawyer expressed angst about the former independent presidential candidate being in such a job, per Stat. "We can't put anyone in charge of health care who doesn't understand how doctors and scientists develop best practices and keep us safe, and has no medical background and no knowledge about how health care is organized, delivered and paid for," said Ted Kennedy Jr. of his cousin. (More Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stories.)