Rep. Jay Obernolte refusal to seriously oversee the Department of Health and Human Services is not only shirking his constitutional duty of oversight, but he’s also playing with fire with Inland Empire's health. Meanwhile, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is busy promoting wild, unproven theories about Tylenol causing autism and linking circumcision to neurodevelopmental disorders, and Obernolte appears to be napping on the job. This is not oversight, its negligence.
Kennedy reasserted the connection between the pain reliever Tylenol and autism during a Cabinet meeting despite the fact that credible science rejects the link. He also referenced a conspiracy theory that boys undergoing circumcision have double the autism rate. How untethered to reality can you get?
But while the scientific world recoils, Obernolte’s silence is deafening and irresponsible. Public health is not a joke. An Inlander might ask: What's the harm if a congressman fails to push back? The answer: everything. If the Robert Kennedy claims with zero evidence, then doctors will have to spend time debunking wild rumors. This endangers patient care.
Obernolte sits on the Subcommittee for Health and has the power to hold hearings, interrogate officials, and block this madness. Instead, he chooses to keep quiet. This is not oversight; it’s a rubber stamp. Obernolte’s indifference isn’t neutral, it’s dangerous.
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