Doctors and their professional associations have always been considered non-partisan, but HHS Secretary Kennedy has pushed the medical establishment to its breaking point, and now has several GOP lawmakers backing him up.
Kennedy has been sparring with the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics calling the groups and doctors “pharma flunkeys and progressive idealogues,” even while they have hosted many conservative members.
Texas GOP Senator John Cornyn says there is a “crisis of credibility” that has manifested in Kennedy’s desire to overhaul the medical community over a “public lack of trust.”
- Kennedy has sought to limit the ability of the AMA to determine what Medicare pays doctors, and has blasted the AMA’s calls for disciplinary actions for doctors who spread disinformation, such as prescribing ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for Covid
- The AAP has sued Kennedy over unlawful changes to Covid vaccine guidance for children.
Who is now backing Kennedy up?
One blatant example is Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate health committee, who has recently blasted the AMA over its support of gender-affirming care. In a letter to AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, Cassidy called the group “anti-science” and “anti-patient.”
Cassidy is also demanding revenue reports from its coding system, suggesting he might upend medical billing standards.
Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Roger Marshall of Kansas have both become vociferous defenders of Kennedy.
“Many of these doctor associations are run by liberals,” said Marshall, an OB/GYN who has had a fraught relationship with the groups. “They’re run by people that failed being real doctors.”
Yet the Kennedy allies agree on a common theme — trust your doctor, not the doctors.
While Cornyn says there is a credibility crisis in the medical community, he was quoted as saying a personal doctor remains “the best person to provide that counsel and advice” regarding children’s vaccines.
Marshall is quoted as saying despite all his “animosity” he still has “an immense amount of trust in the doctors out there.”