Despite President Donald Trump's contemplation of a health-related role for Kennedy, Lutnick confirmed that the latter would not be leading the Department of Health and Human Services.
"No, of course not," Lutnick stated on CNN's "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" on Wednesday. "He's not going to be the Secretary, no." Lutnick further clarified Kennedy's intentions, saying, "That's not what he wants to do. He just wants data, and he wants to prove things [about vaccines] are wrong. And he says, 'If I can't prove they're wrong, that's fine. But if I can, I can save millions of Americans' lives and make their lives better.'"
As reported by The New York Post, the Senate's confirmation is a prerequisite for the position of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Given Kennedy's skepticism about vaccines, this could present a significant challenge. Kennedy, a Trump endorser since August, has publicly expressed his desire to gain "control" over major public health agencies as part of the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.
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"[What] Trump has promised me is – is control of the public health agencies, which are HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others, and then also the USDA," Kennedy revealed in a video obtained by CNN. He further emphasized the need to move away from seed oils and pesticide-intensive agriculture.
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Kennedy, at a gala event in September, clarified that his endorsement of Trump did not guarantee him a position due to legal concerns about a quid pro quo. However, Trump has expressed enthusiasm about involving Kennedy in some capacity. "I'm going to let him go wild on health. I'm going to let him go wild on the food. I'm going to let him go wild on the medicines," Trump declared at his Madison Square Garden rally.
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As for Elon Musk, the space and electric car magnate, Lutnick suggested that a formal administration position is unlikely. Instead, Musk would assist the government externally. "He's not coming into the government. He can't sell SpaceX and Tesla," Lutnick stated, highlighting potential conflict of interest issues due to government contracts with SpaceX.
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Musk has humorously proposed the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a nod to the popular cryptocurrency and his favored memes. Lutnick explained that Musk would be "adjacent to it," developing software for the government and aiding its operations. "It's going to be amazing," he added.
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Musk has projected that he could cut approximately $2 trillion, about a third, from the estimated $6.75 trillion federal budget. To put this into perspective, discretionary spending for the fiscal year 2024 was around $1.6 trillion, with the remainder of the federal budget allocated to interest on debt, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other mandatory programs.
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"We have to reduce spending to live within our means," Musk advised voters during a virtual town hall last Friday. "And, you know, that necessarily involves some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity." Musk, the owner of X, is known for his drastic cost-cutting measures, having reportedly reduced about 80% of the staff at his platform, formerly known as Twitter.
