Dime con Quién Andas, y te Diré Quién Eres: President Trump’s Nominees and Their Threat to Reproductive Justice

By FirstName LastName
March 11, 2025

Authors: Salen Andrews and Brenda Vargas

Washington, DC – We’re just a few weeks into the Trump-Vance Administration, and it is already clear that loyalty to President Trump and politics trump professional expertise and protection of the United Sates (U.S) Constitution and its people when being considered for key administrative positions. With federal agency nominees moving rapidly through confirmation hearings, nominees have demonstrated disturbing and dangerous track records on the issues that matter most to our communities.

Considering the significant threats these confirmations pose on reproductive justice and im/migrants’ rights, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice rejects President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Department of Health and Human Services nominations.

Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security

On November 12, 2024, Kristi Noem—former South Dakota governor—was nominated by

President Trump for Secretary of Homeland Security. A devoted supporter of President Trump, Noem has continuously advocated for his stringent anti-immigrant policies. As governor, Noem refused to denounce Trump’s family separation policy, was the first to send the South Dakota National Guard to the southern border to support Operation Lone Star at Texas Governor Abbott’s request and joined a lawsuit challenging health insurance access for DACA recipients. Additionally, Noem has firmly opposed abortion and restricted reproductive rights by strongly defending South Dakota’s abortion ban, signed a legislative package aimed at further restricting abortion access, and signed a bill prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Noem’s stance on various issues has sparked significant backlash from different groups. Her reckless comments about Native American tribes resulted in her being banned from seven Native American reservations in South Dakota.

On January 17, 2025, The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held Kristi Noem’s nomination hearing. In her nomination hearing, Noem demonstrated a lack of commitment to the humane, safe, and orderly welcome of those seeking asylum at the border. In her Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, she reaffirmed her plans to enforce harmful immigration policies, terminate the CHNV parole program, reinstate “Remain in Mexico,” and vowed to end CBP One. These policies and agency directives undermine access to safety, reproductive health services, and maternal services for vulnerable im/migrants, including youth, women, and pregnant people who are at an increased risk of sexual violence and unwanted pregnancies.

On January 25, 2025, the Senate confirmed Kristi Noem to be Secretary of Homeland Security. In this role, Noem will be responsible for overseeing DHS, which oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Secret Service. Noem holds significant authority over the implementation and enforcement of policies that will severely impact Latina/es and im/migrants and will disproportionately harm LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. As a supporter of Trump’s disastrous anti-immigrant agenda, Noem’s confirmation to be Secretary of Homeland Security will increase unnecessary suffering for im/migrant communities and curtail access to sexual and reproductive health services.

Rodney Scott, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner

On December 6, 2024, Rodney Scott—former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol and who served in Border Patrol for nearly 30 years— was nominated as CBP Commissioner to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Scott implemented “Remain in Mexico” and Title 42. The politicization and weaponization of public health denied people the right to seek asylum, returned them to dangerous conditions, and prevented access to health care. With the implementation of these border enforcement policies, reproductive rights and access to health care for migrants resulted in overcrowded shelters with poor sanitation facilities, poor health outcomes, and even death. During Scott’s tenure as chief of U.S. Border Patrol, more than 3,200 migrant children were held in Border Patrol facilities. In a declaration, Scott confirmed Border Patrol agents expelled 66 unaccompanied children in violation of a court order.

If Rodney Scott is confirmed to be CBP Commissioner, we can expect a renewed cycle of harm to im/migrants, including Latina/es and unaccompanied youth. In this role, he will enforce immigration laws and manage ports of entry (POEs). U.S. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for managing U.S. Border Patrol, whose agents are typically the first to encounter im/migrants at the border and enforce immigration laws. With a strong stance on immigration and border security, Scott will undoubtedly reinforce deterrence-driven policies that will do nothing to address the challenges at the border. Instead, it will place vulnerable people—including women and youth—in inhumane and dangerous conditions.

Pamela Bondi, U.S. Attorney General

On November 22, 2024, Pamela Bondi—former Florida Attorney General—was nominated for United States Attorney General. As Florida Attorney General, Bondi supported policies like Arizona’s discriminatory ‘show me your papers’ law, joined lawsuits to block DACA, supported Trump’s Muslim ban, and supported Arizona’s racial profiling law (SB 1070). In addition to promoting anti-immigrant rhetoric, she has also expressed strong opposition against reproductive health and rights, including abortion. During her tenure as Florida Attorney General, she supported restrictions on abortion laws and participated in legal efforts through amicus briefs to restrict abortion and contraception. As a former attorney representing President Trump during his first impeachment trial, Bondi shows allegiance to President Trump and will lead the Department of Justice with spite.

During her Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Bondi declined to state whether she would refuse unlawful or unconstitutional orders from President Trump, deflected when asked if she would commit to defending the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), did not directly address a question about Braidwood Management v. Becerra a case that challenges the ACA rule requiring health insurance to cover preventative services, confirmed she was unaware of the Department of Justice’s efforts to maintain access to Mifepristone, responded “I will follow the law of the United States of America” when asked if she would advocate for abortion restrictions at the federal level, displayed her limited knowledge on birthright citizenship, and failed to condemn President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Her responses, deflections, and nonanswers offer insight into how she intends to lead the Department of Justice recklessly and raise serious concerns among immigrant rights and reproductive justice advocates. With the power to oversee immigration courts, misapply the Comstock Act, and influence critical decisions on appeals, Bondi poses a grave threat to the safety of Latina/es and im/migrants. Bondi will certainly advance Trump’s political agenda and personal vendetta, which makes her unequivocally unfit to lead the Department of Justice.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

On November 14, 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist—was nominated for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy’s blatant disregard for science-based health care and long track record of pushing dangerous health conspiracies is extremely alarming. In his Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Energy, Labor and Pensions Committee hearings, he refused to commit to protecting essential sexual and reproductive health care and repeatedly promised to implement President Trump’s anti-abortion policies, including ending abortion later in pregnancy, hiring pro-life individuals to HHS, and reevaluating the safety of Mifepristone, despite decades of scientific research proving that medication abortion is safe and effective. Despite flip-flopping on abortion during his failed presidential bid, Kennedy has now made his anti-abortion position very clear, stating several times during Senate hearings that he believes “every abortion is a tragedy.” This is especially concerning as our communities already face barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health care and making our own decisions about our bodies and lives.

Kennedy’s lack of commitment to science-based health care and his newfound anti-abortion stance pose a serious risk to Latina/es and im/migrant communities. As Secretary of HHS, Kennedy holds sweeping powers over a broad range of health care decisions and programs that are critical for our communities, including Medicaid, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Title X clinics. Someone like Kennedy should not be leading our nation’s primary public health agencies, particularly as we continue to face abortion bans and restrictions that disproportionately harm Latina/es and im/migrants who already face significant barriers to accessing health care.

Jim O’Neill, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

On November 26, 2024, Jim O’Neill—former principal associate deputy secretary at HHS under George W. Bush— was nominated to be the Deputy Secretary of HHS. In this position he would serve as the secretary’s right hand. O’Neill has demonstrated a dangerous interest in for-profit health care systems and reducing safety regulations, which we know result in predatory practices that harm the most vulnerable populations.

Since his time under the Bush administration, O’Neill has primarily spent his career in the private finance sector, and his rhetoric during those years is deeply troubling. He has claimed that health care should be run as a “free market” and advocated for letting people start using pharmaceutical drugs before assessing whether they actually worked. He is even reported to have said, regarding the unethical practice of allowing people to sell their organs, “There are plenty of healthy spare kidneys walking around, unused.”

All these attitudes can result in deeply exploitative practices that disproportionately affect people of color and people with low incomes, including when it comes to their reproductive health. There is a long, dark history in this country regarding reproductive coercion of Black and Latina/e people and im/migrant communities. Forced sterilizations supported by state and federal governments have disproportionately targeted low-income women as part of so-called “poverty prevention” schemes, and in the 1970s, a group of ten women (the Madrigal Ten) sued the University of Southern California and LA County General Hospital for nonconsensual sterilizations of Mexican American women. Unfortunately, these practices persist today, as individuals in detention facilities continue to face threats to their reproductive health, including undergoing forced hysterectomies. Jim O’Neill’s dangerous viewpoints regarding de-regulation and predatory health care practices show he has no intention of protecting the health of underserved communities. He is clearly unqualified for leadership at an agency responsible for the health and well-being of all people in this country.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

On November 19, 2024, Dr. Mehmet Oz—a television show host and physician—was nominated to be the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator. Oz has an extensive history of making false medical claims and pushing pseudoscience. He has given Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other vaccine denialists a platform on his talk show, promoted the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 without evidence, and even faced a Senate inquiry after being accused of false advertising for supplements. Some of Oz’s positions echo Jim O’Neill’s interest in for-profit health care. Oz has specifically proposed further privatizing Medicare, a move that would continue to put more power and profits into the hands of health insurance corporations. While Oz’s positions and practices are damaging to everyone’s health, we know that underserved communities like Latina/es and im/migrants will bear the brunt of the consequences.

The CMS Administrator oversees programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance Marketplace. The role controls over a $1 trillion budget and influences drug price negotiations and medication coverage decisions. It is dangerous and unethical for someone like Oz, who has peddled false medical information and showed interest in exploitative, privatized health care, to hold a position with such a profound impact on millions of people’s health and well-being.

Martin Makary, Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

On November 22, 2024, Martin Makary—a surgical oncologist at Johns Hopkins—was nominated to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Makary has called for a complete overhaul of FDA leadership and culture and opposed important public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine mandates. Makary’s public anti-abortion comments are most concerning for reproductive justice advocates. In a Fox News interview from 2022, Makary spread disinformation about fetal pain during procedural abortions, falsely claiming that, “Somewhere between 15 and 20 weeks, babies will actually resist the instruments of abortion.” Makary went on to lament that medical professionals who speak out against abortion or refuse to provide abortions are silenced and even fired from their positions. That same year, he described himself as “100% Pro-Life” and asserted he believes life begins at conception. These comments demonstrate Makary’s interest in placing greater restrictions on this critical form of health care.

As FDA Commissioner, Makary would be responsible for regulating access to medication, including contraception and medication abortion, as well as supervising enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospital emergency rooms to provide stabilizing care, including abortion, to anyone who is experiencing an emergency medical condition. At best, Makary cannot be trusted to approach decisions regarding abortion care with scientific integrity, and at worst, he would be able to weaponize his position to further his pro-life agenda.

Dave Weldon, Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

On November 22, 2024, Dave Weldon—a physician and former Florida congressman—was nominated for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Weldon has actively fought for decades to restrict access to abortion care. He is perhaps most well-known for introducing the Weldon Amendment, a “refusal of care” appropriations rider that protects health care providers and insurance plans that refuse to provide or pay for abortion without regard to the impact on patients’ rights or well-being. Most notably, the Weldon Amendment was weaponized by the Trump-Pence administration to block $200 million in federal Medicaid funding for California over abortion care. Weldon, who has cited Jesus Christ as a key influence on his politics, has also worked to ban late-term abortions and promoted false claims linking abortion and breast cancer. In his own words, he has a “100% pro-life voting record” and called Roe v. Wade “the greatest assault on human life.”

The CDC has many functions related to disease prevention and control, but it also collects vital statistics regarding abortion data. We can expect Weldon to champion many of the proposals in Project 2025 to expand abortion surveillance that would fall under CDC purview. Abortion surveillance puts our communities at serious risk of further criminalization. The agency is additionally responsible for deciding what vaccinations are required for immigrants, both those applying for visas and those seeking lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. Weldon has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the safety of several scientifically supported vaccines and unsuccessfully tried to transfer responsibility for vaccine safety from CDC to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Weldon is categorically unqualified to be making decisions that directly impact the health of all people, including Latina/es and im/migrant communities.