The White House News

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) spoke out on President-elect Trump’s recent decision to tap environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling the former presidential candidate a “fringe conspiracy theorist.”  

Murray released a statement Friday morning in response to the appointment, citing Kennedy’s history as an anti-vaccine advocate to back up her criticism.

“There is no telling how far a fringe conspiracy theorist like RFK Jr. could set back America in terms of public health, reproductive rights, research and innovation, and so much else,” she said in the statement. “The consequences here are not theoretical or superficial — health care access, coverage, research, and public health are life or death issues for people — and the COVID pandemic was an all too recent, all too painful reminder.” 

“Confirming RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary would be nothing short of a disaster for the health of millions of families,” Murray added. “I urge my Senate Republican colleagues to join me in forcefully condemning and opposing this catastrophic nomination.”

Kennedy’s position requires a senate confirmation before he can lead the department that includes 13 agencies and a nearly $2 billion budget. Following Trump’s announcement, he vowed to be an “honest public servant” if he is ultimately confirmed to lead HHS next year. 

Murray joins other Democrats and public health officials in denouncing Kennedy’s nomination to the post.

Kennedy ran an unsuccessful independent bid against President Biden before suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump. He was heralded by the president-elect in his announcement Thursday.

“I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” Trump posted Thursday afternoon on Truth Social. “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.”

“Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!” he added.

Kennedy wasn’t the only controversial choice that could test Senate Republicans next year, either. His tapping of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as attorney general, and appointment of tech billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new government efficiency department, has also raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle.

The White House on Friday announced it had finalized an agreement with a major semiconductor manufacturer to invest billions of dollars in facilities in Arizona as President Biden looks to cement parts of his legislative legacy before leaving office in January.

Biden in a statement announced the government had completed a $6.6 billion grant agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company through the Chips and Science Act, a bipartisan bill signed into law in 2022 intended to boost U.S. production of critical semiconductor chips.

“Today’s announcement is among the most critical milestones yet in the implementation of the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act, and demonstrates how we are ensuring that the progress made to date will continue to unfold in the coming years, benefitting communities all across the country,” Biden said in a statement.

The grant is expected to create $65 billion of private investment by TSMC in Arizona, Biden said, which will include three new facilities and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs by the end of the decade. The first of the company’s new facilities is on track to open next year.

Biden earlier this year announced a slew of preliminary grant agreements with companies, including TSMC, through the CHIPS law. The announcement of a final agreement underscores how the administration is hoping to get those deals across the finish line before President-elect Trump takes office.

Trump has during an October interview with podcaster Joe Rogan criticized the CHIPS bill as benefitting “rich companies” and claimed he could use tariffs to attract companies instead. Experts have warned tariffs would increase costs for consumers, something Trump has dismissed.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) earlier this month had to walk back a comment in which he said House Republicans would “probably” move to try to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act.

Biden has repeatedly touted the importance of the CHIPS and Science Act, citing the prevalence of microchips that are used in everyday technology such as phones, cars, home appliances and more. Officials have said the law is critical to bolster domestic production of the chips to make the U.S. less reliant on foreign supply chains.

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) signaled Thursday that he’d be willing to serve under President-elect Trump when he returns to the White House in January.

“If there is a job that could help the country and that my skillset would be useful for. Anybody should consider that,” Phillips told NewsNation’s “On Balance.” 

“And if we come to a point where no Democrat will want to serve in a Republican administration, and conversely, we are limiting 50 percent of the universe of potential appointees and that’s what I am trying to overcome,” he added. 

Phillips, who mounted a long shot bid against President Biden before dropping out in March, has consistently warned his party about not having a competitive primary process and urged both parties to try to better understand the needs of the American people. 

The Minnesota Democrat said last week that Trump has “become a significant historical figure in American politics” and that he built a movement “that, frankly, snuck up on most Democrats.” 

“I am not a big fan of the President himself, but I understand the MAGA movement,” Phillips said Thursday. “I understand why people are angry. I understand why this federal government needs to be reformed. But then do it with people with competency and integrity to do it.” 

Trump has announced a slew of candidates for his Cabinet and other administration posts since being declared the winner of the presidential race, including picking two ex-Democrats, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be his director of national intelligence and head the Department of Health and Human Services, respectively. 

The Hill has reached out to Trump’s transition team spokesperson for comment. 

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group which also owns The Hill.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Thursday that the former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) House Ethics Commitee report “shouldn’t go public,” amid pressure to release it after he was tapped for a potential Trump administration role.

“Well, it’s my understanding that it’s not supposed to go public. So, if it’s not supposed to under the rules, it shouldn’t go public,” Jordan told Fox News’ host Laura Ingraham.

Jordan praised Gaetz who was chosen by President-elect Trump to be his next attorney general Wednesday. Hours after the announcement, Gaetz resigned from the House. 

The Florida Republican was being probed by the committee over, among other allegations, illicit drug use and whether he engaged in sexual misconduct. His resignation will likely incite further investigation, but a number of lawmakers in both chambers argued that the report should still come out.

The committee is set to meet Friday to vote on whether to release the report, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill. 

“There are very few people who have the cross-examination skills he does, and I want someone in the Justice Department [DOJ] who’s not going to say moms and dads in school board meetings need to be investigated,” Jordan said Thursday. “I want someone in the Justice Department who’s going to say it’s wrong for the FBI to do a memorandum and say that pro-life Catholics are extremists.”

“I want someone at the Justice Department who can tell us who planted the pipe bombs on January 6, who leaked the Dobbs opinion, who put cocaine at the White House instead of all the other stuff they seem to be focused on,” he added. 

Trump’s pick of Gaetz surprised a lot of lawmakers on Capitol Hill with some GOP senators saying that he would have a hard time getting the confirmation in the lower chamber. 

“He’s got an uphill climb,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said. 

A few of Trump’s allies in the upper chamber have also urged their colleagues to vote for his Cabinet nominees or face political headwinds, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

“Everybody’s got an opinion up here, but at the end of the day President Trump was elected by an enormous vote and he deserves the team around him that he wants,” Tuberville said on Fox Business Network. “It’s not us to determine that.”

Asked if Gaetz would end up being confirmed as the country’s next top law enforcement official, Jordan said “that’s up to the Senate.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized President-elect Trump’s decision to tap environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), claiming it will set the U.S. back more than 200 years.

“You have a baby, and anywhere in the world, I mean, protecting against polio, against measles, against very serious communicable diseases that, I mean, we would be talking about going back to the, what, the 1700s, 1800s,” Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday during an interview on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut.” 

“I mean, this is serious. But on top of that, if you’re a Republican that voted for Donald Trump and you believe in his agenda, something that is broadly popular among Republicans and Democrats are community health centers,” she told host Joy Reid. “If you live in a rural area and there’s not a hospital very close to you but there is a community center closer to you, it could be decimated under Robert F. Kennedy.” 

The progressive House lawmaker’s remarks came just hours after Trump announced Kennedy as his pick to head the department with 13 agencies and a nearly $2 billion budget.

“Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again” Trump said in his announcement Thursday. 

The position requires a Senate confirmation which could be a tough lift considering that some Democrats in the upper chamber have denounced the choice along with public health officials, as Kennedy has been considered a fierce critic of vaccines. Still, Trump has signaled that the confirmation process could be circumvented with recess appointments. 

Appropriations Committee chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Kennedy’s confirmation “would be nothing short of a disaster for the health of millions of families.”

She continued, “I urge my Senate Republican colleagues to join me in forcefully condemning and opposing this catastrophic nomination.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on the other hand said Kennedy has “championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure.” 

“I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda,” he added.

Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that Kennedy’s potential ascension to the top of HHS could cause “potential decimation of community health centers, which is devastating.”

“And we are talking about people who live in rural communities. We’re talking about people who live in underserved communities that have been neglected, in order to, whether it’s to get a shot or just to get checked up on,” she continued. “We’re talking about the potential decimation of community health centers, which is devastating.”

Kennedy, who initially ran for the White House as a Democrat before switching to an independent, suspended his presidential bid in August and endorsed Trump. He later supported him on the campaign trail as a surrogate.

He has vowed to be an “honest public servant” if he is ultimately confirmed to lead HHS next year.

“Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science,” Kennedy said Thursday.

The Hill has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment.