It did not take lengthy for the affirmation listening to of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS), to show contentious as Senate Democrats grilled him.
The verbal fireworks exploded minutes into the Senate Finance Committee listening to on Wednesday, the primary of two straight days of congressional affirmation hearings for the controversial vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White Home in 2024 earlier than ending his bid and endorsing Trump.
Kennedy repeatedly insisted that he was not “anti-vaccine” and slammed a number of Democrat senators for pushing a “dishonest” narrative towards him that he has “corrected” on nationwide tv many instances. Democrats on the committee pointed to a slew of previous feedback from the nominee through which he questioned or disparaged COVID pictures and different vaccines.
“The receipts present that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, and charlatans, particularly in relation to the security and efficacy of vaccines. He is made it his life’s work to sow doubt and discourage mother and father from getting their youngsters life-saving vaccines,” Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the highest Democrat on the panel, charged in his opening assertion.
MULTIPLE OUTBURSTS AT COMBUSTIBLE RFK JR. CONFIRMATION HEARING
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies throughout a Senate Finance Committee listening to on his nomination to be Well being and Human Providers Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2025. (Picture by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Moments later, as Kennedy delivered his personal opening feedback and stated “information studies have claimed that I’m anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I’m neither. I’m pro-safety,” a protester shouted out “you lie.”
The heckler was led out of the listening to room by Capitol Police, as was a second protester minutes later.
WATCH: RFK JR. WARNS THAT AMERICA’S HEALTH IS IN ‘GRIEVIOUS CONDITION’Â
And one other protester was noticed within the viewers holding an indication studying, “Vaccines Save Lives, Not RFK JR.”Â
A protestor holds up an indication studying “Vaccines save lives” as Secretary of Well being and Human Providers nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies throughout a Senate Finance Committee listening to on his nomination to be Well being and Human Providers Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 29, 2025. (Picture by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Democrats on the committee repeatedly pointed to Kennedy’s controversial vaccine views, together with his repeated claims lately linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific analysis.
In addition they spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief authorized counsel for Youngsters’s Well being Protection, the nonprofit group he based that has advocated towards vaccines and sued the federal authorities quite a few instances, together with a problem over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for youngsters.
In his opening assertion, which Fox Information solely obtained forward of the listening to, Kennedy spotlighted that “I consider vaccines play a vital position in healthcare. All of my youngsters are vaccinated. I’ve written books about vaccines. My first e-book in 2014, the primary line of it’s ‘I’m not anti-vaccine’ and final line is ‘I’m not anti-vaccine.’”
FOX NEWS SCOOP: RFK JR.’S OPENING STATEMENT AT MUST WATCH HEARING
However he shortly confronted a grilling from Democrats.
Wyden led off his questioning of Kennedy, the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, by spotlighting a scathing letter from the nominee’s well-known cousin, Caroline Kennedy, which accused him of being a “predator” and urged lawmakers to reject the nomination.
The senator additionally pointed to previous Kennedy vaccine feedback in podcasts, together with one from 2020 when he stated he “pay something” to have the ability to return in time and never vaccinate his youngsters.
“Are you mendacity to Congress as we speak if you say you might be pro-vaccine? Or did you lie on all these podcasts?” Wyden requested.
Pushing again in a really heated trade, Kennedy claimed that statements he made on podcasts have “been repeatedly debunked.”
And he vowed that he would do nothing to forestall People from acquiring sure vaccines.
“I assist the measles vaccine. I assist the polio vaccine. I’ll do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it tough or discourages individuals from taking something,” Kennedy emphasised.
The subsequent Democrat to query Kennedy, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, accused him of peddling half-truths, peddling false statements.”
Benett grew heated as he requested Kennedy about different previous feedback, asking, “Did you say Lyme illness is a extremely seemingly militarily engineered bioweapon?”
“I in all probability did say that,” Kennedy answered.
RFK JR. ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF PUSHING DISHONEST NARRATIVE
And Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has identified Kennedy for many years – courting again to their days as legislation faculty college students on the College of Virginia, advised his good friend “frankly, you frighten individuals.”
If confirmed, Kennedy would have management over 18 highly effective federal companies overseeing the nation’s meals and well being, together with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the Meals and Drug Administration, the Nationwide Institutes of Well being and the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Well being and Human Providers, testifies throughout his Senate Finance Committee affirmation listening to on the Dirksen Senate Workplace Constructing on January 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Picture by Win McNamee/Getty Pictures)
The 71-year-old Kennedy launched a long-shot marketing campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination towards President Joe Biden in April 2023. However six months later, he switched to an unbiased run for the White Home.
Kennedy made main headlines once more final August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. Whereas Kennedy had lengthy recognized as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who have been each assassinated within the Nineteen Sixties – Kennedy lately constructed relationships with far-right leaders due partly to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.
Trump introduced quickly after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cupboard to run HHS.
Within the two months since Trump’s announcement, it isn’t simply Democrats who’ve raised questions on Kennedy’s affirmation. Social conservative Republicans took concern together with his previous feedback in assist of abortion rights.
“My perception is we must always go away it to the girl. We should not have the federal government concerned, even when it is full time period,” Kennedy stated as he ran for president.Â
However since endorsing Trump, Kennedy has walked again his stance on abortion. And in an trade Wednesday with Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Kennedy declared “I agree with President Trump that each abortion is a tragedy.”
Impartial Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a former two-time Democratic presidential candidate, argued that Kennedy made a “main U-turn” on abortion.
Kennedy was additionally questioned about how he would reform Medicare and Medicaid, the large authorities well being care applications utilized by tens of millions of older, disabled, and low-income People.
“I don’t have a broad proposal for dismantling this system,” Kennedy stated of Medicaid.
And he stated that President Trump hadn’t requested him to chop this system however somewhat “requested me to make it higher.”
Kennedy, whose outspoken views on huge pharma and the meals {industry} have additionally sparked controversy, vowed that “if confirmed, I’ll do every little thing in my energy to place the well being of People again on observe.”
Whereas Democrats might discover widespread floor with Kennedy’s purpose to shift the main focus of the companies he would oversee towards promotion of a wholesome way of life – together with overhauling dietary tips and take purpose at ultra-processed meals – and attending to the basis causes of power ailments, Kennedy lamented that they oppose him as a result of he is Trump’s nominee.
“Now they’re towards me as a result of something that President Trump does, any choice he makes, needs to be lampooned, derided, discredited, marginalized, vilified,” Kennedy argued.
RFK JR. LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS HEALTH SECRETARY, FOX NEWS MEDICAL ANALYST PREDICTS
With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can solely afford to lose the assist of three GOP senators if Democrats unite towards his affirmation. Throughout Wednesday’s listening to, no Republicans appeared to oppose the nomination.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina appeared to lean into the Democrats’ assaults on Kennedy, asking “I bought an actual fast query for you: Are you a conspiracy theorist?”Â
Kennedy answered that it “is a pejorative that is utilized to me primarily to maintain me from asking tough questions of highly effective pursuits.”
GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, a chemical engineer, spotlighted that there are a number of Republican docs on the committee.
“We consider in science. I’m grateful that you simply do, too,” Daines stated.
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Republican Sen. Invoice Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor who stated he had a “frank dialog” with Kennedy about immunizations after they met earlier this month, did not ask about vaccines throughout the committee listening to. As a substitute, he saved his inquiries to federal healthcare applications, together with Medicare.
In the meantime, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin took purpose at Democrats on the committee for what he claimed was “hostility on the opposite facet… I am dissatisfied with it.”
The listening to ended three and a half hours after it started, with Kennedy departing the committee room to cheers from supporters.
