Both Republicans and Democrats clash with RFK Jr. on vaccines, CDC turmoil
"We're denying people vaccines," Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told Kennedy.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a grilling before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Over nearly three hours of questioning, he defended his controversial views on vaccines and the ouster of Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Key Headlines
- GOP senators sidestep when asked if they still have confidence in RFK Jr.
- Contentious hearing ends after nearly 3 hours
- Sanders presses Kennedy on his accusations against major medical groups
- Kennedy claims Monarez said she was 'not trustworthy'
- Sanders suggests he'll call on Susan Monarez to testify before HELP Committee
Kennedy claims Monarez said she was 'not trustworthy'
In a fiery exchange with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, Kennedy claimed the recently fired CDC Director Susan Monarez said she was not trustworthy.
Warren pointed to an op-ed Monarez wrote for The Wall Street Journal on Thursday saying she wouldn't prematurely sign off on recommendations from the CDC's vaccine advisory committee.
"I told her that she had to resign because I asked her, 'Are you a trustworthy person?' And she said, 'No,'" Kennedy replied. "If you had an employee who told you they weren't trustworthy, would you ask them to resign, senator?"
Kennedy reiterated the statement when asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, about the exchange with Monarez.
"Are you telling us that the former head of CDC, you asked her, 'Are you a trustworthy person?' And she said, 'No, I am not a trustworthy person,'" Sanders asked.
'"She didn't say, 'No, I'm not a trustworthy person.' She said, 'No,'" Kennedy replied.
Sanders suggests he'll call on Susan Monarez to testify before HELP Committee
Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, suggested he will bring ousted CDC director Susan Monarez to Capitol Hill to testify.
"I look forward to her coming before the HELP Committee, maybe this committee as well," Sanders said.
Fact check: Current COVID-19 vaccine availability
Kennedy claimed that anyone can get COVID-19 vaccines at their pharmacy for free, however, pharmacies are being selective due to the limbo of federal regulations.
The FDA has approved the updated shots for only older and high-risk Americans, and the CDC vaccine panel is set to meet to discuss potential recommendations in a few weeks.
Amid the regulatory uncertainty, some pharmacies have said that access to the shots may vary state-by-state and may require a prescription.
-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud
AAP hits back at Kennedy saying the organization is 'gravely conflicted'
The leading medical group representing pediatricians, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), is pushing back on Kennedy saying the organization is "gravely conflicted at their biggest contributors are the four largest vaccine makers."
"Secretary Kennedy's claim that the American Academy of Pediatrics is 'gravely conflicted' is false and misleading. The AAP's financial statements are publicly available for full transparency. Less than 4% of our revenue comes from industry sources," Mark Del Monte, CEO and executive vice president of AAP, said in a statement.
The AAP has a charitable fund known as the "Friends of Children Fund" that pharmaceutical companies have contributed to. They say that 4% of their revenue comes from industry sources.
-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud