Breakthrough Institute opposes Kennedy nomination
The Breakthrough Institute, an Oakland, Calif.-based research organization, on Monday announced its opposition to President Trump’s plan to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the institute said, “Many of the tenets of Mr. Kennedy’s vision for the future of food in America will fall under the jurisdiction of other agencies. However, with oversight of HHS, and more specifically the Food and Drug
Administration, Mr. Kennedy would have the capacity to enforce regulations with profound consequences for U.S. agriculture.”
“Mr. Kennedy has proposed to limit the use of pesticides shown to be safe, curb agricultural biotechnology innovation, and reassess genetically modified crops that farmers have relied on for decades,” the letter said.
“Such changes risk incentivizing less productive, less profitable, and more environmentally destructive farming practices that will upend the livelihoods of American farmers, increase food prices forAmerican consumers, and compromise the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture globally.”