Over 75 Nobel laureates have signed a letter urging senators to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Health and Human Services secretary by President-elect Donald Trump. They warn that confirming Kennedy would jeopardize public health and undermine America’s leadership in health sciences.
The letter, published by The New York Times, includes signatures from Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, medicine, physics, and economics dating back to 1975. The signatories argue that Kennedy’s lack of credentials and relevant experience make him unfit for the role. They also cite his controversial views on vaccine skepticism and water fluoridation as reasons for their opposition.
According to the Times, this is the first instance in recent memory where Nobel Prize winners have collectively opposed a Cabinet nomination. However, the number of signatories is five fewer than those who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in October.
Notable signatories include 2024 Nobel laureates in economics Simon Johnson and Daron Acemoglu, 2024 medicine winners Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, and immunologist Drew Weissman, who won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2023 for his work on a type of Covid-19 vaccine.
In response to the letter, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team told the Times that Americans are tired of elites dictating their actions. The spokesperson added that the healthcare system is broken and that Kennedy will implement President Trump’s agenda to restore its integrity and “Make America Healthy Again.”