Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall has expressed his support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, in an op-ed published in The Hill. Senator Marshall believes Kennedy is the right person to lead a health revolution in America.

In his article, Senator Marshall highlights the challenges facing the American healthcare system, which he describes as having shifted from preventive care to "sick care." He writes, “For decades, American health outcomes have declined as we continue to throw money at the problem. It’s safe to say that what we are doing is not working."

While acknowledging differences with Kennedy on certain issues, Senator Marshall emphasizes the importance of debate and scrutiny in medical practice: “I don’t agree with Kennedy on everything, but no one agrees with their colleagues 100 percent of the time. Even in my medical practice, doctors debated treatment decisions. That’s how science works — through questioning, reviewing and challenging available scientific studies and utilizing some common sense that comes with years of experience from medical practice.”

Marshall and Kennedy share a commitment to evaluating medical interventions critically. According to Marshall, this involves holding institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) accountable: “Kennedy and I agree that we should always scrutinize medical interventions to ensure they are necessary, safe and effective. This means holding the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accountable for studying the risks, benefits, efficacy and side effects of vaccines — just as we do for all other drugs."

Senator Marshall concludes by comparing Kennedy's potential impact on healthcare to President Trump's election as a disruptor: “Just as Trump was elected because Americans wanted a disruptor, I believe Kennedy is the disruptor our healthcare system needs. He will turn NIH, CDC, Medicare and Medicaid away from their disease-treatment mindset and toward prevention. This is not complicated. It’s common sense.”