KY version of Trump’s health commission gets Senate OK as Democrat denounces ‘abject misinformation’

by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
February 27, 2025

FRANKFORT — A Democratic physician pointed to a Kentucky measles case and condemned “abject misinformation” as the Republican-controlled state Senate unanimously voted Thursday to adopt Trump administration health goals and launch a Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force.

Sen. Karen Berg, a physician in Louisville, voted for the resolution but said, “We are going backwards.” 

Kentucky officials announced a case of measles Wednesday night. Measles is a highly contagious virus that is preventable by vaccine, according to Johns Hopkins. 

Berg pointed to the rate of measles vaccination in Kentucky, which the Department of Health says is about 90% and slightly lower than the national percentage, which she blamed on misinformation about the safety and benefits of vaccines. 

The Kentucky Senate last year approved a bill that would have prohibited schools and employers from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine. The bill died in the House.

President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has gained wide recognition for spreading inaccurate information and skepticism about vaccines. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor, was the only Republican in the U.S. Senate who voted against Kennedy’s confirmation.

Trump has started a Make America Healthy Again Commission that Kennedy will chair.

Berg said, “I understand wholeheartedly the concepts of health and wellbeing and being responsible for what you put in your body and how you treat your body. But I also cannot — and under any circumstances — minimize what medicine has done to impact the survival of children in this country.” 

While introducing her resolution, primary sponsor Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, emphasized the hope for Kentucky to move toward a more “holistic” view of health. 

“We want to pursue evidence-based approaches,” Funke Frommeyer said. “We’d like to encourage partnerships with research institutions to gather data on the long term benefits of holistic health practices, providing a robust basis for policy decisions.” 

The task force would be composed of eight legislative members — four from the Senate and four from the House — including two Democrats and six Republicans, appointed by each chamber’s leadership, who would meet at least once a month during the interim before the next legislative session. 

The task force would also include the Cabinet for Health and Family Services secretary, Kentucky Department for Public Health commissioner, Department for Community Based Services commissioner, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education and the chair of the Kentucky Board of Licensure and Certification for Dietitians and Nutritionists, or their designees. 

By Dec. 1, the task force would submit a report with recommendations to the governor and the Legislative Research Commission outlining ways to improve the health of Kentuckians. 

Funke Frommeyer said the task force’s goals will include scrutinizing weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, promoting “preventative and alternative therapies,” reevaluating Medicaid drug approvals and more.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

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