Top Republican on Senate Health Committee Struggles to Confirm Vaccine Skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, faced a second confirmation hearing this week, during which he was pressed by senators about his views on vaccines. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, refused to reject claims that vaccines cause autism and instead argued that he is “pro-safety.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the top Republican on the Senate’s chief health committee, indicated that his vote for Kennedy’s nomination was not a lock, citing Kennedy’s inability to admit that vaccines are safe and don’t cause autism. Cassidy, a former physician, said he was “struggling” to confirm Kennedy and suggested that the science is clear: vaccines are safe and don’t cause autism.
During the hearing, Cassidy repeatedly asked Kennedy to publicly declare that vaccines don’t cause autism, but Kennedy refused. Cassidy also pointed out that Kennedy’s views on vaccines have been a sticking point for many senators and that he has a massive “megaphone” as a descendant of former President John F. Kennedy, questioning whether he will use his credibility to support or undermine the nation’s public health and its confidence in vaccines.
Kennedy has argued that his plan as HHS secretary would be to “follow the science,” and if the science says he is wrong on vaccines, he will publicly apologize. However, senators like Cassidy have suggested that the science is clear on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
