Cabinet nominations signal a sharp turn away from data-driven policymaking

By Melanie Wilt, APR, CEO of Shift•ology Communication and Clark County Commission President

President-elect Trump’s recent Cabinet nominees reflect an increasing trend of emotional and social factors overshadowing governmental decision-making. Several appointees are household names with celebrity status, but minimal practical experience in the areas they will lead. What they lack in expertise, they compensate for with impassioned distrust of traditional institutions. This growing trend has become rampant throughout our society — far beyond the halls of Washington — and concerns me greatly as an advocate for the life sciences.

Take Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. A vocal anti-vaxxer and environmental activist, Kennedy has promoted discredited theories about vaccines causing harm, particularly autism. His stance has alienated him from mainstream medical and scientific communities, positioning him against public health institutions like the CDC and NIH. He pitted himself against farmers when he founded the Waterkeepers Alliance in 1999 and has railed against their science-based practices. … Continue reading