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The environmental lawyer is seen as a controversial pick on both sides of the aisle chiefly for having spread misinformation around the safety of vaccines
Published : 29 Jan 2025, 10:28 PM
Robert F Kennedy Jr, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the top US health agency, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, where he is expected to face a grilling over his views on vaccines and abortion.
While that committee is responsible for advancing his nomination to the full Senate, Kennedy, 70, is also scheduled to appear in front of a second Senate panel that oversees health on Thursday.
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 on Friday, despite concerns that the nominee was not qualified for the position, and allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
Kennedy's nomination also will put Republican lawmakers' loyalty to the test, as the former Democrat holds a range of unorthodox positions that could alienate both conservatives and liberals.
The environmental lawyer is seen as a controversial pick on both sides of the aisle chiefly for having spread misinformation around the safety of vaccines in the past.
"The receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, (and) charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He has made it his life work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids lifesaving vaccines," said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden in an opening statement before the hearing.
"This is the profile of somebody who chases money and influence wherever they lead, even if that means the deaths of children and other vulnerable people," he said.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that Kennedy is set to appear before on Thursday and also sits on Finance, called the nominee "wrong" on vaccines. But he said they had a "frank conversation" during Kennedy's Capitol Hill tour aimed at winning support. Cassidy is one of a handful of Republicans seen as undecided on the nomination.
While most of the opposition to Kennedy is driven by his stance on vaccines, some Republicans also object to his comments in support of abortion rights, as well as his perceived stance against the pharmaceutical industry.
In written testimony to the Finance Committee, Kennedy said he is not anti-vaccine or anti-industry and that he believes "vaccines have a critical role in healthcare." He noted that his own children had been vaccinated, according to the document seen by Reuters, but helped found the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense.
Kennedy says he wants to work to end chronic disease, break any ties between employees at the U.S. drugs regulator and industry, and advise US water systems to remove fluoride.
He has decried the US food industry for adding ingredients he says have made Americans less healthy.
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.
