“The enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend.” — Cicero
Wall Street Hit Hard by Kennedy Nomination to Lead HHS
Stocks tanked. Food and pharmaceutical giants felt the sting. The moment Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name was announced as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), panic rippled across the market.
Kennedy isn’t your standard Washington insider. If confirmed, he’ll oversee a department that controls nearly $2 trillion in spending and regulatory agencies like the FDA, CDC, and NIH. It’s no secret these agencies have long been intertwined with Big Pharma’s playbook. Kennedy? He’s been their biggest critic.
For decades, Kennedy has challenged pharmaceutical power. He’s pledged to gut predatory advertising and slash taxpayer subsidies. This nomination isn’t just a shake-up—it’s a seismic shift. The industry knows it, and they’re not happy.
Senate Finance Committee: The First Hurdle
Kennedy’s fate lies with the Senate Finance Committee. These lawmakers hold the power to advance his nomination, but they’ve also benefited from deep-pocketed pharmaceutical donors.
Since 2019, drug companies have poured more than $6.7 million into the campaigns of committee members. Republican senators pocketed nearly $5 million of that. Democrats collected over $1.7 million.
Some names stand out:
- Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC): Over $679,000 in contributions.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA): Nearly $667,000.
- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV): Top Democrat with $460,000.
It’s money with strings attached, but does it mean votes are for sale? Not always.
Voices of Dissent
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), despite receiving over $124,000 from the industry, has openly supported Kennedy. Johnson hosted a roundtable this September where Kennedy delivered a scathing critique of the U.S. healthcare system.
“If America fails,” Kennedy warned, “it will be because we let ourselves get sicker, fatter, more depressed, more infertile—while bankrupting our nation with healthcare costs.”
Johnson didn’t mince words about his support: “He’ll do an extremely good job. It’s hard to refute the truth, and he’ll be laying out many truths.”
The Stakes
Kennedy’s confirmation is more than a personnel decision. It’s a battle over the future of public health and the grip Big Pharma holds on America. Wall Street knows it. Washington knows it. And now, the fight begins.
The Morning Muster
