Indivisible Rhode Island tells Senator Whitehouse to oppose the Trump Agenda more forcibly
And to vote against RFK, Jr. as Secretary of Health.
“I don’t want to be recorded,” said George Carvalho, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s State Director, when he saw me with members of Indivisible Rhode Island outside his downtown Providence office on Thursday afternoon.
“Why?” I asked.
"Because I don’t,” said Director Carvalho. “I’d like to have a private meeting with these people.”
“They invited me. I didn’t just show up,” I countered. “Are you seriously saying you don’t want me in there?”
“Steve, I don’t really care,” said Director Carvalho.
“Alright. Cool,” I said, “Then I’m coming in.”
Here’s the video:
Director Carvalho and the two dozen-plus members of Indivisible Rhode Island met for over half an hour. People gathered in the office waiting room to air their concerns about Senator Whitehouse’s seeming indecision regarding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s fitness as President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health.
Since 2005, RFK Jr. has promoted vaccine misinformation and public-health conspiracy theories, including the scientifically disproved claim of a causal link between vaccines and autism.
“The reality of why we’re here right now is not to tell you how to do your job,” said Aseem Rastogi, chair of Indivisible Rhode Island. “However, some very concerning things are happening that deal directly with Rhode Island and Sheldon Whitehouse...
“What more information does he need to say ‘no’ to someone who is anti-vaccines, who killed people in American Samoa, and who is by and large a predator? ... RFK is going to get the most vulnerable people in this country killed.”
Here’s Senator Whitehouse’s questioning of RFK Jr. Members of Indivisible Rhode Island said he did not go hard enough on the nominee.
Members of Indivisible Rhode Island told Director Carvalho that Senator Whitehouse must vote ‘no’ on RFK Jr. and that the Senator’s performance at Wednesday’s confirmation hearing did not inspire their confidence. They further insisted that Senator Whitehouse vote no on all Trump nominees in the future.
“There can be no solidarity with GOP/MAGA on this, especially with the material effect of P2025 and, as we have seen, the OMB funding freeze that is now headed to the courts,” wrote the group in a memo. “The recission of the memo is not a recission of the underlying action - it’s just recalling a memo.”
Lastly, the Indivisible Rhode Island members implored Senator Whitehouse to do what is possible to slow all Senate proceedings to a halt—deny unanimous consent, vote no on cloture, and force quorum calls (essentially a roll call to ensure 51% of the Senate is present to conduct business) at every opportunity.
Everyone at the meeting said they voted for Senator Whitehouse in the last election.
“If he votes to confirm RFK Jr., I will never vote for him again,” said an Indivisible Rhode Island member. The room buzzed with agreement. “I want him to know that. If he does that, he’s toast.”
The Senate confirmation vote may be as early as next week.
“Senate Democrats must be willing to be the sand in the gears of this MAGA agenda,” said Indivisible Rhode Island in a memo. “We elected Sheldon Whitehouse, and he is usually a fighter for democracy and opposing the Trump agenda. That said, he has shown a willingness to back down and not fight, and right now, that won’t work.”
Reed: Kennedy Leading HHS Would be Hazardous to Children’s Health
United States Senator Jack Reed, a longtime champion for children’s health and childhood immunization programs, today issued a statement opposing President Trump’s nomination of anti-vaccination advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Reed stated:
“The Department of Health and Human Services helps protect public health and the safety of our nation’s food and drug supply.
“After carefully reviewing Mr. Kennedy’s record and noting his history of stoking dangerous conspiracy theories and making false claims about vaccine safety, I strongly oppose his nomination.
“Putting him in charge of HHS would be hazardous to children’s health and could lead to a resurgence in measles and other childhood diseases that cause serious illness and endanger lives.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that routine childhood vaccinations in America have prevented over 1.1 million deaths, more than 500 million cases of illness, and over 32 million hospitalizations over the past 30 years.
Whitehouse to Vote No on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Nomination for HHS
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement shortly before voting in the Senate Finance Committee against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
“Mr. Kennedy has not come remotely close to providing adequate assurances that he will follow the well-established science on vaccines, nor remedy the ways CMS hurts Rhode Island, so I cannot support his nomination.”