El-Sayed seeks probe into RFK Jr. over 'anti-science' approach after cyclospora outbreak
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed Photograph: (AFP)
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed wants to investigate RFK Jr. over the Cyclospora outbreak that infected more than 15,000 people in Michigan.
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed wants to investigate Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over an explosive diarrhoea parasite linked to lettuce that infected thousands over the summer. Asked on CNN whether he wants to investigate the HHS secretary specifically, El-Sayed said yes, and that he wants to understand the decisions behind what has happened. He criticised what he called Kennedy's "anti-science" approach and said it was not about retribution, but about accountability and fixing problems going forward.
The senator-elect pointed to staffing cuts at the FDA and CDC, which he said may have weakened responses to foodborne outbreaks and recalls, including this summer's Cyclospora outbreak.
“This is not about retribution for something past,” El-Sayed told anchor Kate Bolduan. “This is about understanding what happened, holding people accountable for what they did and then solving the problem moving forward.”
Michigan suffered the worst Cyclospora outbreak, with more than 15,000 cases reported to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services by late August.
El-Sayed had already clashed in the final days of the race. Kennedy, who appeared at a Michigan rally with Republican nominee Mike Rogers, claimed that Arabs "don't produce science" or literature. El-Sayed, who is of Egyptian descent, responded by calling Kennedy "the most unqualified health secretary we've ever had" and said he would seek to investigate his performance if elected. Trump and Rogers also attacked El-Sayed during the campaign, and Rogers suggested he had extreme ties without offering evidence.
El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director, defeated Rogers in a bitter campaign for the open seat. His campaign was backed by a pro-science PAC that has criticised the administration's health policies.
Kennedy has tried to reduce the number of universally recommended childhood vaccines and replaced members of a federal vaccine advisory committee with vaccine sceptics. It is not yet clear which committees El-Sayed will join or whether Democrats will control the chamber, which will decide whether he can open an inquiry himself or only press for one.
