The progressive political action committee 314 Action launched a new ad campaign on Monday, slamming Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he comes up on his first 100 days in office, ridiculing him for his recent swim in a D.C.-area river that has long been deemed unsafe due to contamination.
In a new 30-second ad, 314 Action presented Kennedy’s swim in Rock Creek as absurd, posting it next to two facetious headlines saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered drone strikes from a steam bath and another saying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shot and killed another dog.
Kennedy posted photos of himself and his grandchildren swimming in Rock Creek last week on social media. Swimming has been illegal in most of D.C.’s waterways since the 1970s, largely because of contamination from the District’s aging sewer system, and the National Park Service has stated “swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels.”
“RFK Jr. ignored ‘keep out signs’ and jumped into a river with his grandkids contaminated by raw sewage,” the ad by 314 Action states. “RFK Jr. has presided over the worst measles outbreak in decades and cut billions in life-saving medical research. If RFK Jr. doesn’t care about the health of his own grandchildren, he doesn’t give a damn about yours.”
Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action, said Kennedy has “turned the nation’s top health office into a public health disaster” in his first 100 days as HHS Secretary.
314 Action focuses on getting Democrats with backgrounds in STEM elected to public office. Successful candidates they’ve backed include Democratic Reps. Janelle Bynum (Ore.), George Whitesides (Calif.) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).
“He’s not just incompetent — he’s dangerous. Under his watch, we’ve seen the worst measles outbreak in decades, billions slashed from life-saving research, and a brutal plan to gut Medicaid for millions,” added Naughton. “RFK Jr. will be remembered not as a leader, but as a reckless conspiracy theorist who put children, seniors, and vulnerable Americans in mortal danger.”
