Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing intense familial criticism for his political alignment with President Donald Trump, particularly over cuts to food assistance programs that millions of vulnerable Americans rely on.
A Scathing Public Rebuke
In a powerfully worded op-ed published in The Boston Globe, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, the secretary's younger brother, did not hold back. He characterized his brother's stance as a profound "betrayal" of the legacy of their father, the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy Sr. While acknowledging the impossibility of knowing his father's exact thoughts, Maxwell was clear on what he believed his father would have cherished most: fighting the injustice of poverty in a wealthy nation and ensuring no child goes hungry.
He wrote that his father, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, "would have been appalled by the cruelty the Trump administration has directed toward America’s neediest." Maxwell specifically pointed to the government shutdown, an event that placed millions at risk of losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits last November.
The Legacy of Fighting Hunger
Senator Robert F. Kennedy Sr. was a known advocate for expanding anti-hunger initiatives, which in his time was known as the Food Stamp Program. His son Maxwell argued that the current administration's actions, supported by his brother, directly contradict this lifelong mission.
"It’s a betrayal of all that my father worked for," Maxwell stated. He further expressed that "all those complicit in that betrayal have lowered themselves — not least my brother, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.", whom he said understands their father's legacy as well as anyone.
A Growing Chorus of Family Criticism
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not facing criticism from just one sibling. Earlier this year, his sister, Kerry Kennedy, also publicly disapproved of several conspiracy theories he has promoted while serving in the Trump administration.
"I love Bobby and I find him incredibly charismatic. But I have said — and my other family members have been super clear about this — that we disagree again and again and again on the things that he’s said," she commented. Adding to the family's public dissent, RFK Jr.'s cousin, Tatiana Schlossberg, revealed a terminal cancer diagnosis in a New Yorker essay and criticized federal research cuts by HHS that she fears will hurt other cancer patients.
Meanwhile, RFK Jr., who has advocated for removing sugary drinks from the food stamp program, commemorated his father's birthday with a nostalgic Instagram post featuring a photo of the two of them.
In his op-ed, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy saved harsh words for the Trump-loyal GOP as well, accusing them of exhibiting "an almost Dickensian cruelty" by prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy over funding for the poor in the so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill." He concluded with a direct challenge to his brother's role, writing, "Preventing hunger is the primary duty of every public health official. You cannot Make America Healthy while denying food to our most vulnerable citizens."
