A health care advocacy group is railing against President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary, saying it will be “dangerous” to the health of the American people.

During a news conference Friday in front of Portland City Hall, several speakers affiliated with the nonprofit Protect Our Care, which advocates to protect the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid, decried Kennedy’s false rhetoric questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccines, among other conspiracy theories.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Capitol Hill in 2023. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

“His message is, ‘We are going to make eradicated diseases great again,’ ” said Mark Gallagher, a leader of Protect Our Care Maine.

Vaccines have stopped or slowed the spread of infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, pertussis, chickenpox and influenza, and saved millions of lives. The quick development of COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives worldwide during the pandemic.

Kennedy has falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism, and cast doubts about the safety of vaccines during testimony before the Maine Legislature in 2015. He also has spread myths that the 1918 influenza pandemic was caused by vaccine research, among other things.

Trump’s nominees must be confirmed by the Senate, and Maine’s senators, Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King, have not yet taken a stand on specific nominees, according to their offices.

“I think you are going to do some unbelievable things,” Trump said, praising RFK Jr. during a recent event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. “If you like health and you like people that live a long time, it’s the most important position.”

Kennedy, in defending his nomination, said on the X social media platform that “there’s a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic.”

“Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science,” Kennedy wrote. “I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families.”

But Dr. Patricia Hymanson, a retired physician and former state lawmaker, said Kennedy has “embraced radical conspiracy theories” about science and medicine. Hymanson also called out Kennedy for wanting to pause scientific research into new medications.

“He will sabotage science and hurt people,” said Hymanson, speaking on behalf of the Maine Medical Association, which represents physicians. “We are calling on our entire federal delegation to stop this nomination. We cannot have an unqualified person who has never led undermining decades of progress to keep Mainers healthy.”

Kennedy has advocated for removing fluoride from public drinking water supplies, considered by health experts as one of the most important advancements in public health during the 20th century. He has also attacked the Food and Drug Administration, which is tasked with protecting the food supply, safety of medications and approving new drugs and vaccines.

“If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you. 1. Preserve your records. 2. Pack your bags,” Kennedy said on social media in October.

Kennedy made an appearance in 2015 before the Maine Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, where he repeated debunked claims about vaccines as lawmakers were debating a vaccine bill. Maine lawmakers eventually passed a bill that eliminated religious and philosophic exemptions for school-required vaccinations. Since the law went into effect, Maine’s kindergarten vaccination rates have improved and are among the best in the nation.

Matthew Felling, a King spokesperson, said in a written statement that the senator “will review and consider all nominations when the next administration formally sends them to the Senate in 2025 – though he acknowledges that some of those mentioned thus far do not appear to have the requisite background or experience for the important posts in question.”