Capitals' Jakob Chychrun drops 1-word reaction as US Health Secretary candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gets nod from Senate committee

Modified Feb 06, 2025 12:45 GMT

Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun was among the first few names to let his thoughts be known after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for the U.S. Health Secretary was approved on Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee in a 14-13 vote along party lines.

Chychrun reposted entrepreneur Dave Asprey's tweet briefing the news on his Instagram stories.

“Breaking: RFK Jr.’s nomination for Health Secretary has been approved by the Senate Finance Committee, setting him up for full Senate confirmation,” read the tweet.

In the caption of his story, Jakob Chychrun wrote:

“Amen.🙏🏻”

Senator Bill Cassidy, the key swing vote, had initially expressed concerns about Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views but ultimately supported him after Kennedy assured that he would uphold CDC vaccine policies and maintain a close working relationship with Cassidy if confirmed. Kennedy had previously faced criticism for his lack of knowledge about Medicaid and potential financial conflicts of interest.

Autism advocates and public health experts had opposed his nomination, fearing it could undermine vaccine trust. Cassidy, up for reelection in 2026, reportedly faced pressure from both Kennedy’s supporters and opponents. President Trump had originally endorsed Kennedy, linking vaccines to rising autism rates.

Jakob Chychrun's partner addresses loophole in ‘organic’ food certification

Earlier last month, Jakob Chychrun’s fiancee, Olivia Ibrahim, raised concerns about a loophole in the certification of organic products imported from China. In an Instagram video posted on her story, she claimed that Whole Foods’ Organic 365 brand sources products from China, but the certifying agency, Quality Assurance International (QAI), is not permitted to audit farms in the country.

“Good morning to everybody except Whole Foods, who has been selling Organic 365, this brand,” she said. “Check the back, everything I have from them, product of China, and then quality. Okay this thing, Quality Assurance International, which is the company that certifies organic, isn't even allowed to work in China, and audit Chinese farms.

“So I have no idea if this product is organic to begin with, and then what, is it made in a lab? Like, what's going on, where is this growing? I have no idea, but this is legal, like I have, I'm so confused.”

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Ibrahim then shared a screenshot from Wikipedia to support her claims, highlighting that QAI is not authorized to audit farms in China, yet its certification appears on organic products from the country. She also posted pictures of labels of similar packaging labels available on Amazon, pointing out the certifications and their limitations.

Whole Foods has not publicly responded to the concerns raised.

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