No one will deny that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s surprising elevation to the White House counsel team is a major turning point in modern American politics. After months of speculation, the attorney finally took the official oath of office on Wednesday, January 20th, 2021. In turn, this new position has raised many questions about how Kennedy’s tenure and ideology could affect current policies within the Biden administration.
The ascension of Kennedy to a White House counsel role is certainly an unexpected move. Despite years of legal experience in environmental and public health advocacy, Kennedy has been a major proponent for debunked vaccinations theories, supporting the scientifically disproven link between vaccines and autism. Furthermore, he is a vocal opponent to genetically modified foods and has been extremely critical of Silicon Valley-funded campaigns for stricter internet regulation. It’s unclear how much these views will influence policy within the Biden administration, but Kennedy’s appointment has been viewed with both uncertainty and strong criticism.
The main point of contention is that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was previously an outspoken Trump supporter. During his brief one-year tenure in the office, Kennedy helped shape Trump’s environmental policies, advocating for programs that essentially gave companies more freedom to disregard clean air and water standards. With his newfound access to the most powerful office in the world, some speculate that these same agendas will be carried over into the new presidency as well.
The concern has grown to the extent that a coalition of advocacy groups have already signed an open letter expressing their disappointment in Kennedy’s position and calling for distance between any of his personal views and the incoming administration’s policies.
So though his elevation to the White House counsel is certainly a bold move by Biden’s team, the president-elect is now presented with a difficult balance between upholding progressive ideals and preserving legacy pollution commitments. It’s clear that this won’t be an easy decision, but there seems to be a strong popular belief that whatever Kennedy’s involvement, there will be a heavy impact to both sides of the aisle.
