Former CDC Director explains regulatory capture

 

Anna Matson

@AnnaRMatson

Former CDC director endorses Trump 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲. Robert Redfield wrote an article explaining his decision: “To heal our children, a president must see the possible and lead our nation to act. After more than 40 years in the public health arena, it might surprise some of my colleagues to know I think President Trump chose the right man for the job: Robert Kennedy, Jr.” “We know chronic disease is more than 75 percent of the country's $4 trillion annual health care expenditure. Unfortunately, we have become a sick nation. We're paying too much for chronic disease, and this must change. It's time to make America healthy again.” “The causes of childhood obesity are complex, but a primary origin is clearly the modern American diet of highly processed foods.” “But our food problem goes well beyond obesity: Pesticides are proven risk factors for neurodevelopmental outcomes in kids, causing maladies like ADHD. If the next president prioritizes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify which exposures are contributing to the spike in chronic disease in children, we will finally find out and end what is slowly destroying our children.” “Across a century-plus of cozy courtship, the federal regulators have nearly married the regulated, especially in health care. Today, private industry uses its political influence to control decision-making at regulatory agencies, law enforcement entities, and legislatures. Kennedy is right: All three of the principal health agencies suffer from agency capture. A large portion of the FDA's budget is provided by pharmaceutical companies. NIH is cozy with biomedical and pharmaceutical companies and its scientists are allowed to collect royalties on drugs NIH licenses to pharma. And as the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I know the agency can be influenced by special interest groups.” “But it doesn't stop in the health agencies: the U.S. Department of Agriculture is a captive of industry, too.” “Critics say our public health system has failed chronic disease patients, especially children. I must agree, and I'm even more frustrated that it's gotten steadily worse during my career.” “President Trump has pledged, if elected, to establish a panel of top experts working with Kennedy to investigate what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic health problems and childhood diseases.” “In response, Kennedy pledged that ‘within two years, we will watch the chronic disease burden lift dramatically’ if he's given the tools he needs to make a change.” “I believe him.”