Robert F. Kennedy Jr., born January 17, 1954, is serving as the 26th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, a role he assumed on February 13, 2025. He comes from the prominent Kennedy political family—son of Senator Robert F.

Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy—and has long stood out for his environmental law career, authorship, and advocacy for children’s health. Before entering government, he co-founded Waterkeeper Alliance, a major clean-water advocacy group operating globally, and led Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit focused on childhood chronic disease and environmental exposure. His legal background spans battles against polluters and regulatory agencies.

He holds degrees from Harvard, the London School of Economics, the University of Virginia School of Law, and an environmental law master’s degree from Pace University.

As HHS Secretary, Kennedy oversees an annual budget of nearly $2 trillion and has authority over agencies that manage disease control, drug regulation, food safety, and public-health research, including the CDC, FDA, NIH, and Medicare/Medicaid programs. One of his first major initiatives was the “Make America Healthy Again” Commission, established by executive order to examine causes of chronic diseases among children and assess the risks associated with mood-altering and weight-loss drugs. He has also initiated a reorganization of HHS, aiming to reduce the number of agency divisions and cut roughly 10,000 full-time positions while asserting that these changes will not harm frontline programs.

Kennedy’s tenure is highly contentious. He has been described by critics as a vaccine skeptic, and has at times questioned or challenged scientific consensus on vaccine safety—especially in relation to autism—though he has publicly claimed to be “pro-safety” rather than anti-vaccine. These views sparked strong reactions from public health experts, especially given his policymaking power over vaccine regulation and public health messaging. His confirmation was narrowly secured by a 52–48 Senate vote, and nearly all Democrats opposed it, citing concerns about his past statements on medical science.

Kennedy’s approach blends activism, legal challenge, and political leadership. Observers are watching how he balances his commitments to environmental justice, public-health oversight, and scientific standards under intense scrutiny. His actions—particularly around agency restructuring, vaccine policy, and chronic disease prevention—are likely to define his legacy within public health governance.