Item 1 of 6 Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
[1/6]Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Purchase Licensing Rights
Jan 30 (Reuters) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the top U.S. health agency, came under pointed questioning from the top Republican on the Senate Health committee on Thursday who said he had reservations about the nominee’s “misleading arguments” on vaccines.
“Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana, told Kennedy. “I have constituents who partly credit you for their decision to not vaccinate their child.”
“You’ve cast doubt on some of these vaccines… but the data, and I could quote some of it, the data has been there for a long time,” Cassidy said.
Kennedy on Wednesday squared off against Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee over his past comments that spread misinformation on vaccines and his shifting stance on abortion rights.
They brought up comments Kennedy has made over decades, including that no vaccine was safe and effective, and quoted other Kennedy remarks made without evidence, including that COVID-19 was targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people, and that it was “highly likely” that Lyme disease was a military bioweapon.
Kennedy, who founded the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, argued during both hearings that he was not against vaccines. On Thursday he said, “I never have said that definitively Lyme disease was created at a biolab.”
“News reports and many in the hearing yesterday have claimed that I’m anti-vaccine and anti-industry. Well, I’m neither,” Kennedy said, repeating that his children are vaccinated.
He spoke more confidently on Thursday under both Democrat and Republican questioning on detailed health topics ranging from the support for the childhood vaccination schedule and development of the bird flu vaccine.
Thursday’s hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is a courtesy hearing with no vote planned. However, Republican Senators Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins sit on the committee, all of whom are seen as potential swing votes against Kennedy.
Supporters of Kennedy wearing “Make America Healthy Again” hats crowded around the committee hearing room on Thursday, while some opposing his confirmation wore “Reject RFK Jr” stickers on their shirts.
If confirmed, Kennedy would run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending, including at the Food and Drug Administration and the agency in charge of the Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs covering nearly half of all Americans.
On Wednesday, Kennedy said he would address rapidly increasing rates of chronic disease and follow Trump’s direction on abortion. He also said fewer processed foods should be available in school lunches or for purchase with food stamps, though both of those programs fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Republican-controlled Senate has not rejected any of Trump’s nominees so far. His controversial defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, squeaked by in a 51-50 vote after Vice President JD Vance was needed to break a tie.
Opposition groups have ramped up their efforts to persuade Republican senators to vote against Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy, another member of the storied American political family, on Tuesday urged senators to vote against her cousin’s nomination, calling him a predator with dangerous views on healthcare.
Kennedy needs the support of at least 50 senators, which would allow Vance to cast another tie-breaking vote and confirm his nomination if needed.
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Reporting by Stephanie Kelly Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
A New-York-based correspondent covering the U.S. crude market and member of the energy team since 2018 covering the oil and fuel markets as well as federal policy around renewable fuels.
