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A national health care advocacy group has launched a campaign in Alaska to urge U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from leading the Department of Health and Human Services.

Politics reported last month that Protect Our Care – a left-wing health care group – planned to target moderate Republican senators to vote against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the top health care post. The group launched its campaign in Alaska last week.

Murkowski remained largely silent about Kennedy, but shortly after the election she expressed some concern about him to the Alaska media in connection with federal immunization programs.

Republicans are expected to have a 53-seat majority in the U.S. Senate, meaning four Republicans would need to join all Democrats and independents to block a confirmation vote.

The federal health secretary oversees key agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In Alaska, the health secretary also oversees the Indian Health Service, which provides care to Alaska Natives who are members of federally recognized tribes. The secretary also manages the vaccines for children program – providing free vaccinations to low-income children and Alaska Native families.

Kennedy has threatened a “war on public health,” and has done so for a long time an anti-vaccine activist and an opponent of fluoride in drinking water.

Last week, Protect Our Care Alaska held a media conference to launch a campaign to convince Murkowski and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan of the risks to the state’s health care system if Kennedy is confirmed.

“RFK Jr. is a dangerous conspiracy theorist whose dangerous anti-vaccine rhetoric poses a major threat to public health,” said Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage.

Gray-Jackson cited Kennedy’s previous statements that the COVID-19 vaccine was racially oriented and that school shootings can be attributed to antidepressants.

Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO, went further, suggesting that a Trump-centric Congress posed a threat to the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), Medicare and Medicaid. She said Kennedy could oversee the weakening of those programs.

Trump will be inaugurated on January 20, which will mark the start of confirmation hearings for his Cabinet posts.

Amber Lee, statewide director of Protect Our Care Alaska, said the Alaska campaign consisted of a few volunteers but would continue in January. Lee said the group assumed Sullivan would vote to confirm Kennedy’s nomination, but that Murkowski might be convinced to vote no.

After the November 5 elections Murkowski spoke to news media from Alaska. She was asked whether Kennedy would play a role in the Trump administration. Murkowski said immunizations have helped reduce some infectious diseases and eliminate others in Alaska. She quoted the legendary Serum from 1925 to Nome.

“I don’t want us to go backwards as a state when it comes to children’s health,” she said.

(Murkowski, an outspoken Trump critic, vows to work with him to advance Alaska’s interests)

However, Murkowski has been largely silent on Kennedy’s nomination since he was tapped by Trump to serve as Minister of Health November 14.

“As she has done throughout her time in the Senate, she will determine on a case-by-case basis whether they are fit to successfully serve Alaska and our nation,” a spokesperson for Murkowski said Friday in response to emailed questions about Kennedy’s policy. confirmation vote.

A spokesperson for Sullivan’s office issued a similar statement last week, saying Sullivan would meet with Kennedy to ensure he “understands the unique health care challenges in Alaska.”

On November 14, Sullivan was asked by a Fox News host about Kennedy’s appointment to Trump’s cabinet as a member of the iconic Democratic Kennedy family.

“I think the American people voted for dramatic change, and President Trump was very transparent — probably the most transparent candidate ever on the campaign trail — and talked about what he wanted to do,” Sullivan said. “And I think this nominee, and several other nominees, will bring us that change. And I think it’s looking good so far.

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