Milei welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to deepen health cooperation

President Javier Milei will receive Robert F. Kennedy Jr., United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, this Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Casa Rosada. The meeting, which will also be attended by Argentine Health Minister Mario Lugones, aims to deepen bilateral cooperation in health matters and consolidate the alignment between the Milei and Donald Trump administrations.

This visit marks the third by a senior U.S. official in recent months, following those of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Southern Command Chief Alvin Holsey, which reinforces the perception of Argentina as a strategic partner for Washington in South America.

Shared agenda: deregulation and review of agencies

The meeting with Milei comes after a series of encounters that Kennedy Jr. held with Argentine officials, including Lugones and the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger. During these meetings, health policies focused on deregulation, the review of national agencies, and Argentina's withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) were discussed, in line with the "Make America Healthy Again" slogan promoted by Kennedy Jr.

Among the measures announced by Lugones are a comprehensive review of national health control agencies, the implementation of policies based on scientific evidence, and the evaluation of the use of additives in food.

Bilateral cooperation and future challenges

In addition to the meeting at Casa Rosada, Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein at Palacio San Martín. Although no details have been disclosed regarding the topics to be discussed, the conversation is expected to address bilateral collaboration in health and possible reforms in the legal framework for pharmaceutical patents, an area that the United States considers deficient in Argentina according to its Special 301 Report.

Kennedy Jr.'s visit reinforces Milei's strategy of moving closer to the Trump administration and adopting health policies aligned with those of the United States, marking a significant shift in Argentina's international orientation in public health.