President-elect Donald Trump nominated Kennedy to be the United States’s secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and Gabbard for director of national intelligence.

“You have a baby, and anywhere in the world, I mean, protecting against polio, against measles, against very serious communicable diseases that, I mean, we would be talking about going back to the, what, the 1700s, 1800s,” Ocasio-Cortez said of Kennedy.

“I mean, this is serious. But on top of that, if you’re a Republican that voted for Donald Trump and you believe in his agenda, something that is broadly popular among Republicans and Democrats are community health centers,” she said. “If you live in a rural area and there’s not a hospital very close to you but there is a community center closer to you, it could be decimated under Robert F. Kennedy.” 

Ocasio-Cortez then redirected her ire toward Gabbard.

“I actually think, almost more than Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment is devastating,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination, as much as she says that she’s an anti-war person, she’s not. She supports very pro-war individuals abroad.”

“And let’s be very clear. A Tulsi Gabbard nomination is a pro-war nomination globally. Point blank, period,” she added.

Gabbard and Kennedy were often linked together during the campaign, appearing together as former Democrats who now back Trump. Gabbard has often been criticized for being favorable to Russia and Syria, two countries that have been antagonistic toward the U.S.

“Tulsi loves Russia,” said former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris. “Tulsi loves Assad. Assad is a butcher.”

Kinzinger also accused her of being a member of a cult.

As for Kennedy, he has commented in the past that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and believes that vaccines cause autism. His stances on vaccines and a host of other controversies were major roadblocks to him challenging President Joe Biden and then running as an independent.

Not all Democrats opposed Kennedy’s nomination. Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) praised the choice, noting several quotes from Kennedy that excite him in a post on X.

“I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again and I hope that we can finally make progress on these important issues,” Polis said.

He later walked back his stance on Kennedy, saying in another post, “Science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety.”

Kennedy backed Trump toward the tail end of the 2024 presidential election and campaigned for him. Reports late in Kennedy’s campaign indicated he endorsed Trump in exchange for a Cabinet appointment, a deal that appears to be coming to fruition for Kennedy.

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“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump posted on X on Thursday. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Kennedy and Gabbard are likely to face steep climbs to being confirmed and appointed.