For those who aren’t reflexively looking for updates Trump’s cabinet nominees, RFK Jr., the failed presidential candidate, antivax crank, and failson of that other Kennedy family, has been selected as Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Yes, the man who may well be in charge of federal healthcare and all the levers that may bring, including vaccine development, is a staunch antivaxxer.

This is, obviously, a bad idea. RFK Jr’s advocacy has already lead to a measles outbreak in Samoa that killed more than 80 people, most of them children. His proposed 8 year moratorium on infectious disease funding would cripple our ability to respond to another pandemic and let decades of research come to a halt under the patently ridiculous notion that diseases will stop developing as well. His appointment will almost lead to Americans, especially the young and the poor, getting killed by preventable diseases.

Enter, Sen. Dr. Bill Cassidy. I know this sub does not care for him but rumors in the beltway is that he is considering joining a moderate/institutionalist bloc in the senate to block some of Trump’s dumber ideas. Cassidy has stood up to Trump before, he was one of the few to vote to impeach him (at least the second time around), and has made health and healthcare a central part of his portfolio and legacy on the hill.

Now is his time to stand on business.

Call and write his offices. Your individual interaction will not move the needle, but we have two months to make it abundantly clear our opinions on this vote. Use them.

Finally, if he does this, and especially if he blocks other dangerous appointments like Tulsi Gabbard for DNI, you should vote for him if he runs in 2026. I know this is a big ask for an audience that runs well to the left of the general electorate, but Elon Musk allegedly promising that he will fund a primary challenge for anyone who tries to block a cabinet nominee. If that comes to pass, we should stand behind Cassidy, especially if/when the state dems fail to produce a quality candidate. Doing so would show our delegation that when they listen to their constituents, they will win.

We as a state have clear opportunity to exercise civic engagement and affect policy on our state and national level. We don’t get that often, so let’s make sure we use this one.