Governor calls Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health secretary nomination ‘unsafe for children’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Gov. Josh Green, a medical doctor, says he’ll testify against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as health and human services secretary if the U.S. Senate asks him.
“This guy makes our children unsafe,” Green, a Democrat, said Monday on Hawaii News Now Sunrise. “We could see disease spread across the mainland and some of that could translate over here.”
In 2019, Green, then lieutenant governor, was among volunteer physicians who went to Samoa and vaccinated thousands against measles.
Hawaii News Now was there as a mother got vaccinated after losing her baby to the disease.
Green blames Kennedy for spreading vaccine misinformation.
“He torpedoed the vaccination program in Samoa and you saw 83 people die, most of whom were children; 5,000 diagnosed extra cases of measles, and there were many more,” said Green.
State Rep. Diamond Garcia, House minority floor leader, said of Green’s remarks, “That’s a shameful statement.”
The Republican lawmaker added, “There is no evidence at all that RFK’s positions, statements have caused harm to anyone.”
Garcia says he supports Kennedy for the position.
“He’s not anti-vax. He’s simply for vaccine transparency,” said Garcia. “RFK has a long track record of going against big pharma, fighting for the little guy.”
Hawaii News Now political analyst Colin Moore says Green has been a strong advocate for vaccines, and his strength as a physician makes him unique in the National Democratic Party.
“I think what you are going to see is a lot of these blue state Democrats like Josh Green, certainly California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who are going to become the primary spokespeople of the Democratic Party,” said Moore.
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