U.S. Rep. David Schweikert has come out in support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department.
In an opinion essay published Thursday in USA TODAY, Schweikert, R-Ariz., applauded Kennedy’s concern about obesity and chronic disease, two issues Schweikert has strenuously argued are a drain on the United States’ budget.
Schweikert’s op-ed didn’t mention Kennedy’s track record of promoting health theories that aren’t supported by science, including his long history of anti-vaccine activism, which has given other lawmakers pause when considering whether to confirm Kennedy to lead the country’s top health department.
“Last year, my economists at the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee told an uncomfortable truth: Our poor health is not only killing Americans, but our nation’s finances as well,” Schweikert wrote.
“RFK Jr. has a rare quality among public officials today – he embraces math. … RFK Jr. understands that 60% of American adults have at least one chronic condition. He wants to remedy the up to $11 trillion loss to our GDP over a decade that comes from chronic diseases.”

“Maybe the most powerful thing we can do to keep from burying our grandchildren and great-grandchildren in piles of debt would be to work on policies that will make us a healthier country,” Schweikert continued. “Under the leadership of RFK Jr., we have a real chance to accomplish that.”
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Schweikert will not actually get to vote on Kennedy’s confirmation. He is a fiscal hawk who has argued that obesity costs the country trillions of dollars annually between Medicaid, Medicare, and individuals’ private medical bills. Schweikert has promoted weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic as a way to address the country’s fiscal woes.
In that regard he has found common ground with Kennedy, a former Democratic candidate for president and longtime environmental lawyer, who says that processed foods are helping to cause an epidemic of obesity in the U.S.
“It’s time to change the standard in this country from ‘maintaining America’s misery’ to ‘keeping America healthy,'” Schweikert wrote. “RFK Jr. deserves both our support and encouragement to lead the charge.”
Kennedy has been highly skeptical of vaccines for years. Though he told senators this week that he is “supportive of vaccines,” he has long promoted a dizzying range of unfounded claims, including the idea that vaccines cause autism.
As a result Kennedy faces widespread opposition from Democrats and potential objections from some Republicans, making him one of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees.
Schweikert represents Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which covers parts of north Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek and Fountain Hills in Maricopa County, along with Salt River and Fort McDowell Yavapai National tribal reservations.