December 2024 – Health Advocate Insights

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Department of Labor Secretary: 

• A current member of the House of Representatives representing the 5th district of Oregon, Rep. Chavez-DeRemer is a surprisingly pro-labor choice for an administration that was predicted to be strongly anti labor. A supporter of the PRO Act, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) worried that the pick would threaten right-to-work laws in his state. Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, stated that Rep. Chavez-DeRemer “should have no place in the Trump Administration.” 
• While the exact policy implications are unclear, the choice could indicate that the incoming administration is seeking a more pro-labor tone than was originally anticipated. It could also indicate that previous GOP support for the TEAM Act could be undercut by a cabinet member that is decidedly pro labor.

Robert Kennedy Jr. for Department of Health and Human Services Secretary: 

• The environmental lawyer turned vaccine skeptic has a record that can only be described as inconsistent and outside of established scientific knowledge. At various times, he has suggested that key priorities may include targeting junk food and promoting better nutrition; eliminating Fluoride in drinking water; and ending funding for NIH drug development among others. 
• One final notable policy is that his team’s suggested reforms for Medicare’s payment formula in order to push for greater incentives towards primary care and prevention. 
• He was the founder of an anti-vaccine group – Children’s Health Defense – however, he has suggested that he would not block or end vaccination policies under the incoming administration.
• Prominent Republicans have come out against his nomination due to historic opposition to the pro-life movement.

Dr. Mehmet Oz for Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator: 

• Known for his time as a television host, Dr. Oz previously spent time as the director of the Cardiovascular Institute at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Vice Chair at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, the latter of which cut ties to him in 2022. 
• His experience in public service is limited to an unsuccessful run for the Pennsylvania Senate Seat in 2022. During his run for the Pennsylvania Senator seat, he pushed for universal Medicare Advantage financed by a 20% payroll tax. 
• He had been noted for suggesting schools should prematurely reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic and has pushed weight loss drugs that were not supported by scientific evidence.
• Discussions during a confirmation will likely focus on Medicaid cuts and work requirements; proposed changes to Medicare Advantage; and his alignment with Robert Kennedy’s potential agenda as HHS secretary. 

Dr. David Weldon for Center for Disease Control (CDC) Director:  

• • Dr. David Weldon is a seven-term Congressman serving the 15th District of Florida before retiring and re-entering medical practice. 

• During his time in Congress, Dr. Weldon suggested that preservative compounds used in vaccines cause autism; pushed for a bill that would have relocated vaccine safety research away from the CDC; and wrote an amendment that would have disallowed HHS from funding programs that discriminated against insurance plans that did not cover abortions.

Dr. Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration Director: 

• Dr. Marty Makary is an oncologist from Johns Hopkins University. His research has historically focused on healthcare costs, medical errors, and the need for additional transparency
• His most recent public announcements have struck a different tone instead focusing on federal agencies lack of responsiveness to chronic disease and misinformation by federal agencies regarding nutrition going so far as to state, “we have the most overmedicated, sickest population in the world and no one is talking about root causes.” 
• It is likely that his confirmation hearing will focus on questions related to food systems and may likely receive pushback from Midwestern Senators whose constituents are disproportionately impacted by agricultural and food policy.   

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for Surgeon General: 

• Dr. Janette Nesheiwat is a medical contributor to Fox News and medical director at a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she pushed the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• Her time on Fox News has focused on issues including the effects of alcohol and drug use, natural disaster relief, and health education more broadly. 
• Given the positions of other HHS officials, it would not be surprising to see an outsized focus on prevention, primary care, and similar issues should she be appointed.

Linda McMahon for Department of Education Secretary: 

• The co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Chair of the America First Policy Institute, McMahon served as the Chair of the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the first Trump administration. 
• Despite her time spent within the previous Trump cabinet, she is one of the more surprising choices for the education secretary role. Outside of a brief stint on the Connecticut Education Board, McMahon was a surprise pick within education policy circles although she has historically expressed interest in charter schools and school choice. 
• McMahon will likely play a major role in overseeing the proposed elimination of the Department of Education, as well as rolling back DEI programs. Senators will likely question her on this issue, as well as her overall qualifications for a role that she has generally been accepted as lacking experience and preparation for. 

Jim O’Neill for Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary: 

• Although noted as a Silicon Valley investor and confidant of Peter Theil, O’Neill previously served as the Principal Associate Deputy Secretary at HHS under the Bush Administration where he oversaw policy and regulations at NIH, FDA, and CDC. 
• Following his previous stint in the administration, he expressed concerns about the FDA noting, “We should reform FDA so that it is approving drugs after their sponsors have demonstrated safety, and let people start using them at their own risk … let’s prove efficacy after they’ve been legalized.” 
• Robert Kennedy Jr. has expressed his support for O’Neill, suggesting that Kennedy may have an outsized role to play in the internal operations of HHS offices, a role typically reserved for assistant secretaries.