Kennedy Swears In Jim O'Neill as HHS Deputy Secretary
June 18, 2025 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · 0:01:09
Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube
What happened
At a swearing-in ceremony, Jim O’Neill repeated the oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, administered at HHS, according to the video. The presiding remarks called the moment one they had been waiting for almost six months and said Jim is a critical piece in assuring the success of the agency over the next four years, according to the ceremony.
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said O’Neill brings unique experience in Silicon Valley and former experience at the agency that will allow HHS to transform into a superpower of technological innovation, according to Kennedy. The department’s description quotes Kennedy saying O’Neill will help harness AI, telemedicine, and other breakthrough technologies, promote outcome-centric care, champion radical transparency, and uphold gold-standard science, according to the description.
O’Neill said he is ready and excited, called it an honor to be back at HHS, and said the president and Kennedy have built a century-scale opportunity to make American health much better, according to O’Neill.
Why it matters
The one-minute ceremony installs Kennedy’s deputy with an explicit innovation brief — AI and telemedicine at HHS — as stated by both men.
Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Swearing in of Deputy Secretary Jim O’Niell”, 2025-06-18 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-06-18). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.
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