Senators challenge Robert Kennedy Jr. on vaccines in confirmation hearing as health secretary

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pledged to “make America steadfast again” arsenic President Trump’s caput of Health and Human Services, faced assertive questions Wednesday from senators who were troubled by his skepticism of vaccines, clasp of debunked aesculapian claims, fiscal conflicts of involvement and 11th-hour changes connected issues specified arsenic termination rights.

Kennedy portrayed himself arsenic an advocator for regular folks who consciousness outgunned by entrenched interests.

“In my advocacy, I’ve often disturbed the presumption quo by asking uncomfortable questions,” the Brentwood nonmigratory said. “Well, I’m not going to apologize for that. We person monolithic wellness problems successful this state that we indispensable look honestly, and the archetypal happening I’ve done each greeting for the past 20 years is to get connected my knees and commune to God that helium would enactment maine successful a presumption to extremity the chronic illness epidemic and to assistance America’s children.”

He was met with pugnacious questions, particularly from Democrats, but besides from immoderate Republicans.

“The receipts amusement that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks and charlatans, particularly erstwhile it comes to the safety, the efficacy of vaccines,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democratic subordinate of the Senate Finance Committee, said successful the opening minutes of the hearing.

“He has made it his life’s enactment to sow uncertainty and discourage parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines,” Wyden said. “It has been lucrative for him and enactment him connected the verge of immense power. This is the illustration of idiosyncratic who chases wealth and power wherever they lead, adjacent if that means the tragic deaths of children and different susceptible people.”

In his testimony, Kennedy often contradicted his past positions, appeared to not afloat grasp details of large wellness programs helium volition beryllium charged with moving if confirmed and said that allegations helium is simply a conspiracy theorist person been leveled against him due to the fact that of his willingness to situation accepted technological wisdom.

“That is simply a pejorative … that’s applied to maine chiefly to support maine from asking hard questions of almighty interests,” said Kennedy, 71, the lad of erstwhile Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of erstwhile President John F. Kennedy.

Wednesday’s proceeding was the archetypal of 2 for senators to see Kennedy’s information to pb a sprawling national wellness bureaucracy with a $1.8-billion fund and 90,000 employees. The Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health autumn nether the department’s umbrella. A committee ballot connected whether to beforehand the information to the afloat Senate has not yet been scheduled, and his chances for confirmation stay unclear.

Kennedy’s wife, histrion Cheryl Hines, and different household members sat down him during the 3½-hour session. A fewer 100 radical crowded the chamber, mostly Kennedy supporters who wore T-shirts from his unsuccessful 2024 statesmanlike bid and “Make America Healthy Again” shot caps.

But determination were immoderate opponents, 2 of whom were ejected from the Senate committee proceeding country aft interrupting the proceedings. One screamed, “He lies!” and the different waved a motion that work “Vaccines prevention lives.” Members of the assemblage yelled, “We emotion you, Bobby!” arsenic the second was led retired by Capitol Police officers.

Many of the senators’ questions focused connected Kennedy’s past skepticism of vaccines. After being a lauded biology attorney, Kennedy served for respective years arsenic the seat of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that falsely claims puerility vaccines origin autism.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) displayed pictures of integrated babe onesies sold by the radical for $25.99 that work “Unvaxxed, Unafraid” and “No vax. No problem,” past pressed Kennedy to disavow them.

Kennedy responded that helium had nary power implicit the organization, which helium precocious left. “I’m supportive of vaccines,” helium said.

Earlier, Kennedy argued that quality reports astir his views connected vaccines were misleading, noting that each of his children were vaccinated, and said that helium supported the puerility vaccination schedule.

“The lone happening I privation is bully science,” helium said.

But his purported relation successful a deadly outbreak of measles successful Samoa was raised often during the hearing.

The outbreak was prompted by the deaths of 2 children who received vaccines prepared with an expired musculus relaxant alternatively of water. The Samoan authorities halted vaccinations for 10 months portion it investigated. During that period, Kennedy visited Samoa and met with salient anti-vaccine activists and engaged successful “a important disinformation campaign” that undermined assurance successful the measles shots, Alec Ekeroma, the country’s manager wide of health, told the Guardian.

By the clip the outbreak ended, much than 5,700 radical had been sickened by measles and 83 of them died. Nearly each of them were infants, toddlers and children nether the property of 5.

Sen. Bernie Sanders points to a show of anti-vaccination babe onesies during Robert Kennedy’s confirmation hearing.

(Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)

Kennedy, who sent a letter to the Samoan premier curate urging him to analyse whether the vaccines themselves could person caused the illnesses, said Wednesday helium had nary relation successful the outbreak.

On Wednesday, Kennedy expressed his enactment for the measles vaccine, arsenic good arsenic the polio vaccine, perchance an effort to triumph the enactment of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who suffered from the illness arsenic a child.

Kennedy tried to absorption his remarks connected issues wherever determination is wide agreement, specified arsenic nutrition and substance abuse.

Senators expressed enactment for Kennedy’s extremity of improving the prime of nutrient disposable done the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, oregon SNAP. Currently, the programme tin beryllium utilized to bargain snack foods specified arsenic murphy chips and sugary sodas.

Kennedy blamed the nation’s worsening wellness successful portion connected the emergence of “highly chemical-intensive processed foods.” He noted that items specified arsenic French fries and meal cereals incorporate much ingredients successful the U.S. than successful different countries and said, without evidence, that scientists person made “a deliberate prime not to survey the things that are genuinely making america sick.”

“We request to hole our nutrient supply,” helium said.

During an speech astir intelligence wellness and substance abuse, Kennedy mentioned his well-known 14-year heroin addiction — an contented that resonates with Americans grappling with the fentanyl situation and successful the aftermath of the opioid crisis.

Caroline Kennedy, a erstwhile Democratic ambassador and the girl of John. F. Kennedy, touched upon her cousin’s cause usage successful a missive released Tuesday arguing against his confirmation.

In summation to describing his earlier abodes arsenic cause dens that led different household members into addiction, she blasted Kennedy for his views connected vaccines, said helium is addicted to powerfulness and described disturbing scenes wherever helium would usage a blender to mince chickens and mice to provender his hawks. The missive was archetypal reported by the Washington Post.

The nominee was a Democrat for decades earlier unsuccessfully moving for president arsenic an autarkic successful 2024. He dropped retired of the contention successful August and endorsed Trump, a antheral helium had antecedently described arsenic “probably a sociopath.”

Senators connected some sides of the aisle sought to usage Kennedy’s past wide positions to their advantage.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) thanked Kennedy for his biology and children’s wellness advocacy and recalled erstwhile Kennedy called him to sermon moving with Trump astir a shared extremity — addressing the basal causes of chronic illnesses, which afflict 60% of Americans.

“We request to get to the answers of this, but adjacent more, we request to heal and unify this divided nation,” Johnson said. “I thought, wow, here’s idiosyncratic from the left, idiosyncratic I don’t hold with connected galore issues politically, coming unneurotic with President Trump, and focusing connected an country of agreement, thing that the American radical desperately want.”

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2019 visit.

(Misiona Simo/Samoa Observer via Associated Press)

Democrats highlighted Kennedy’s nationalist enactment for termination rights to needle their GOP colleagues.

“It is singular that you person specified a agelong grounds of warring for women’s reproductive freedom, and it’s truly large that my Republican colleagues are truthful unfastened to voting for a pro-choice HHS secretary,” Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said.

Kennedy was peppered with questions astir his quality to enactment for a president who has already taken steps to restrict termination access. He replied by pointing to disagreements astir the contented successful his ample Catholic family.

“I came from a household that was divided connected beingness and choice. I person cousins contiguous who judge that termination astatine immoderate signifier is equivalent to homicide,” Kennedy said. “Now determination are different radical who judge the opposite. But the bully happening with my household that I truly loved is that we were capable to person those conversations and respect each other, and I privation that we could bash that nationally.”

Dr. Georges Benjamin, enforcement manager of the American Public Health Assn., said aft the proceeding that helium was troubled by Kennedy’s deficiency of acquisition successful some healthcare and management, and that the nominee didn’t look to recognize the quality betwixt the Medicaid programme and the exchanges wherever radical tin store for security plans.

“He hasn’t fixed maine immoderate assurance that helium follows the grounds of science,” said Benjamin, who antecedently served arsenic caput of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.