It’s not exactly a secret that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has done sweeping damage to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s important not to overlook the team he’s surrounded himself with — and their capacity to make a bad situation worse.
When it comes to CDC personnel, part of Kennedy’s problem stems from those he’s fired, including former CDC Director Susan Monarez and experts on federal health advisory committees. But the other side of the coin matters, too. While the secretary has ousted officials whom he should’ve kept, he’s also brought in officials whom he should’ve avoided.
Take Ralph Abraham, for example. Roll Call reported:
Louisiana’s surgeon general and former House member Ralph Abraham will assume the No. 2 position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Abraham, an outspoken critic of mass vaccination and strong supporter of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA agenda, will be CDC’s principal deputy director. The appointment was not announced by the agency.
If Abraham’s name sounds at all familiar to Capitol Hill watchers, it’s probably because the Louisiana Republican served three terms in Congress before announcing his retirement ahead of the 2020 elections. He also ran a failed gubernatorial campaign in 2019.
Last year, however, Abraham returned to public office when Republican Gov. Jeff Landry tapped him to serve as Louisiana’s surgeon general.
His tenure was not without controversy. The Washington Post reported, “Abraham drew intense criticism in office for instructing health officials to stop promoting vaccines including flu shots and instead emphasize personal choice and consulting with doctors. In a December legislative hearing, Abraham said he regularly sees patients injured by coronavirus vaccines and alleged adverse reactions were being covered up, NPR reported. He has also supported research into an extensively debunked connection between vaccines and autism.”
Abraham has gone so far as to describe Covid shots as “dangerous” (they are not), and he touted ivermectin during the 2020 pandemic despite science showing that the drug was an ineffective treatment.
As for his credentials, Abraham, a veterinarian for many years before going to medical school, has described himself as a “practicing family medicine physician” and a “country doctor.”
An NBC News report added, “While Abraham is licensed to practice medicine in Louisiana, the Louisiana Illustrator reported in February that he didn’t appear to be board-certified in the specialty of family medicine. A search for Abraham on the American Board of Family Medicine’s website yielded no results. A separate search on the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiner’s site lists Abraham as a general practitioner but not a family medicine doctor. (Board certification isn’t required to practice any particular specialty, but it’s viewed as an extra layer to ensure a doctor’s credentials, experience and expertise, according to the American Board of Physician Specialties.)”
Nevertheless, RFK Jr. has brought the Louisiana Republican on to serve as the principal deputy director at the CDC, effectively the No. 2 at the agency.
This is not a Senate-confirmed position. Kennedy wants the conspiratorial state surgeon general to help lead the CDC, and so he will. Best of luck to all of us.
