Back-to-back Senate confirmation hearings are over for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy still faces crucial committee and full Senate confirmation votes to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health.
During the hearings, Kennedy faced verbal fireworks over his past controversial comments on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid, and other issues. While most of the tough questions and sparring came from Democrats, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a crucial vote, expressed concerns over Kennedy’s past stance on vaccines.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader, was questioned by Democrats about his service as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times. He was also grilled over his past claims linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont pushed Kennedy to apologize for his past comments, stating that “vaccines do not cause autism.” Kennedy replied that he would apologize if shown the studies supporting the claim.
The hearings ended with Cassidy saying he was “struggling” with Kennedy’s nomination and told the nominee, “You may be hearing from me over the weekend.” Other Republicans, including conservative Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, defended Kennedy and took aim at comments about vaccines not causing autism.
Kennedy, a scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023 before switching to an independent run and eventually endorsing Trump. Trump announced Kennedy’s nomination to his Cabinet to run HHS soon after the November election.
The Finance Committee has yet to schedule a date for a confirmation vote, and Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation.