President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday for his first confirmation hearing. During intense questioning that lasted several hours, the nominee faced an onslaught of vaccine-related questions from Democratic committee members and softer questions on various topics from Republican members.
In his opening remarks, the Republican committee chairman, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, praised the nominee as a “voice for an inspiring coalition of Americans who are deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of our nation.” Meanwhile, ranking Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, highlighted RFK Jr.’s controversial background, setting the stage for a stark divide across the political aisle that quickly prompted back-and-forth jabs.
“The receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks and charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines,” Wyden said. “This is the profile of someone who chases money and influence wherever they lead, even if that may mean the tragic deaths of children and other vulnerable people.”
In his own opening testimony (PDF), RFK Jr. reiterated his commitment to his “Make America Healthy Again” platform, which largely centers on ending the "chronic disease epidemic." He emphasized that he is “not anti-vaccine” but instead is “pro-safety.”
Still, given his documented history of vaccine skepticism, many Democrat lawmakers in the committee weren't convinced.
“I am extremely concerned that as secretary you would be able to halt critical vaccine research and exploit parents' natural worries by advising them not to vaccinate their children. This will lead to more children [being] sick and some will even die,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, said in her questioning. “There is no reason that any of us should believe that you have reversed the anti-vaccine views that you have promoted for 25 years.”
Other senators, such as Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, argued that RFK Jr.’s position couldn’t be any clearer and that “he’s going to support the vaccines.”
The nominee acknowledged that all six of his own children have received vaccines, supporting his belief that "vaccines have a critical role in healthcare."
Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colorado, was the first of many senators to press RFK Jr. on his previously stated stance on women’s reproductive rights and abortions. On this issue, RFK Jr. has said the country should "leave it to the women” and that the government shouldn’t be involved. But during the hearing, the nominee repeated several times that “every abortion is a tragedy."
If confirmed, RFK Jr. pledged to take the approach of “radical transparency” in his attempt to improving the health of Americans.
Vaccine lawsuit connection
Part of the so-called “radical transparency” approach includes making information more widely available to both lawmakers and the general public. In an ethics agreement, RFK Jr. disclosed a connection to lawsuits against Merck that may raise a conflict-of-interest concern during his confirmation process.
RFK Jr. admitted in his ethics statement that he will continue to receive certain referral fees from Wisner Baum, a law firm representing clients suing Merck for not warning about alleged adverse events from the company's HPV vaccine Gardasil. In the past two years, the HHS nominee has garnered $2.5 million from Wisner Baum, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, highlighted during the hearing.
Warren pressed RFK Jr. to commit to not suing drugmakers while in office and for four years afterward, explaining that in a governmental position, he could “influence every one of those lawsuits."
While RFK Jr. agreed to comply with “all the ethical guidelines,” he pointedly dodged Warren’s questioning, instead repeating that he supports vaccines and the childhood vaccination schedule.
"No one should be fooled here," Warren warned. "As secretary of HHS, Robert Kennedy will have the power to undercut vaccines and vaccine manufacturing across our country. And for all his talk about 'follow the science' and his promise that he won’t interfere with those of us who want to vaccinate our kids, the bottom line is the same: Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it."
“The only thing I want is good science, and that’s it,” RFK Jr. responded.
The U.S. Office of Government Ethics has reviewed RFK Jr.’s filing and confirmed that he has complied with the necessary regulations concerning conflicts of interest, Crapo pointed out.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will convene on Jan. 30 for its own confirmation hearing with the HHS nominee. Ranking member of the HELP committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, offered during the Wednesday hearing what may be a glimpse into his focus with his questioning surrounding drug prices.