Democrat senators lambast RFK Jr. earlier than HHS secretary Senate affirmation vote

Senate Democrats railed towards Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a late-night session Wednesday forward of his affirmation vote to probably turn into the Secretary of Well being and Human Companies (HHS). 

Kennedy’s affirmation vote is anticipated round 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, however Democrat senators spent the night earlier than condemning former President Donald Trump’s HHS decide on plenty of points. 

Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described Kennedy as “clearly unqualified,” “clearly fringe,” and as holding views “clearly detrimental to the well-being of the American folks.” 

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not be remotely certified to turn into the subsequent Secretary of Well being and Human Companies,” Schumer mentioned. “Robert F. Kennedy could be the least certified folks the president may have chosen for the job. It’s virtually as if Mr. Kennedy’s beliefs, historical past and background had been tailored to be the precise reverse of what the job calls for.”

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testifies throughout a Senate Committee on Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions listening to on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photograph/Rod Lamkey, Jr)

Referencing Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard, the newly confirmed Director of Nationwide Intelligence, Schumer accused Republican senators of “rubber-stamping folks regardless of how fringe they’re.”

“The HHS is an company that will depend on science, on proof and impartiality to make sure the well-being of over 330 million Individuals. HHS ensures we eat protected meals, buy dependable remedy, oversee Medicare advantages and approve the usage of lifesaving vaccines. Most significantly, an excellent HHS secretary makes certain the American folks have entry to reasonably priced, high-quality healthcare. Mr. Kennedy, sadly, will not be certified to supervise any of these items,” Schumer mentioned. “He’s neither a health care provider, nor a scientist, nor a public well being skilled, nor a coverage skilled of any type. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed provided that lack of background, I deeply worry that he’ll rubber stamp Donald Trump’s warfare towards healthcare, which means we are going to see extra of the disastrous funding cuts of the previous few weeks, which means that extra folks will lose well being protection, which means that the pursuits of for-profit companies and Massive Pharma will come earlier than the wants of working Individuals.”  

On the Senate flooring, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., learn once more the letter from Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, who served because the U.S. ambassador to Australia underneath the Biden administration. 

Her letter, which she launched forward of RFK Jr.’s Senate affirmation listening to final month, mentioned, “Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Well being and Human Companies, a place that will put him answerable for the well being of the American folks, I really feel an obligation to talk out. Overseeing the FDA, the NIH and the CDC and the facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies companies which can be charged with defending probably the most susceptible amongst us is a gigantic duty, and one which Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any related authorities monetary administration or medical experience. His views on vaccines are harmful and willfully misinformed.” 

Caroline Kennedy went on to put in writing, “I’ve identified Bobby all my life. We grew up collectively. It is no shock that he retains birds of prey as pets as a result of he himself is a predator.” Her letter mentioned, “Whereas he could encourage a youthful technology to attend AA conferences, Bobby is hooked on consideration and energy. Bobby preys on the desperation of fogeys of sick youngsters, vaccinating his personal youngsters whereas constructing a following by hypocritically discouraging different mother and father from vaccinating theirs.” 

“My view? Robert Kennedy has spent his appreciable expertise selling misinformation to susceptible individuals who have motives all of us have and that’s the well-being of individuals we love. You realize, among the issues that Mr. Kennedy mentioned when he is attacking vaccines, they don’t seem to be primarily based in any respect on science, however they attraction to folks’s mistrust of the usual medical occupation,” Welch mentioned. “He is selling it utilizing the magic of the Kennedy identify. The credibility that comes from being a member of some of the starry political households within the historical past of our nation.” 

Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, railed towards Kennedy. (AP Photograph/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., got here to the ground to voice his “robust opposition” to Kennedy. 

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“Mr. Kennedy says that he’ll at all times comply with the proof regardless of the place it leads. Nicely, in case you have a look at his file, he hasn’t executed that,” Hollen mentioned. 

The senator mentioned Kennedy has “no expertise, no {qualifications} within the overwhelming majority” of the wide selection of topics HHS covers, naming how the division “offers high quality management for reproductive well being companies,” “ensures that contraception are coated underneath the Inexpensive Care Act, and it makes certain that Individuals can have entry to over-the-counter choices” and likewise contains packages for early childhood growth, the aged and the disabled. 

“I do not assume any of us anticipate that one Secretary of HHS can know the whole lot. However in case you monitored the hearings and listened to Mr. Kennedy’s solutions, you’ll be able to see that Mr. Kennedy is aware of nearly nothing about all these essential topics,” he mentioned. 

Van Hollen quoted former President John F. Kennedy, who mentioned greater than 60 years in the past that he hoped “that the renewed drive to supply vaccination for all Individuals, and significantly those that are younger, can have the wholehearted help of each mother or father in America.”

“Sadly, his nephew, RFK Jr, has spent many years unraveling that onerous gained legacy by spreading lies and conspiracy theories about vaccines,” Van Hollen mentioned. 

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was among the many Democrats to talk out towards HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. throughout a late night time session Wednesday.  (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Photographs)

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., additionally took difficulty with the notoriety of the Kennedy identify.

“I do not assume it is hyperbole to say that there are only a few folks on this nation which can be much less certified to run this company than Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Murphy mentioned. “I say that as a result of there are few folks within the nation who’ve been so enthusiastic, so public and so impactful of their capability to take among the wildest conspiracy theories which can be on the market on the web about our well being system or about our youngsters, or about our households, internalize them after which disseminate them in a approach that does nice injury.”

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asserted, “We stay within the time of the best quantity of mistrust that we’ve ever seen on this nation, and that’s most pronounced, most clear in the case of our well being. And a kind of folks we have to belief probably the most in our nation is the one that runs the Division of Well being and Human Companies.” 

After assembly with Kennedy and reviewing his statements, Kim mentioned, “he isn’t somebody I can belief with my well being, and in good conscience, I can’t vote for him.”

“If I can’t belief him with the well being of my very own youngsters, how can I ask the households of 9 million different New Jerseyans to do it?” Kim mentioned. “He has too typically diminished that belief within the very healthcare he can be answerable for and too typically has unfold disinformation concerning the illnesses and challenges and threats that we face.” 

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Acknowledging how Kennedy’s supporters would argue he’s “preventing towards a damaged system” and “merely needs to make American wholesome,” Kim mentioned, “sadly what we’re seeing like most issues popping out of this administration is corruption and conspiracy disguised as false guarantees of change.”  

Kim mentioned his father was disabled by polio and his mom has Lyme illness, railing towards Kennedy’s claims that Lyme illness may have been engineered by the army, in addition to that the polio vaccine could possibly be linked to elevated charges of most cancers.