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Top Republican 'struggling' with RFK Jr.'s nomination over Kennedy's vaccine views
Kennedy refused to say vaccines don't cause autism during his hearings.
President Donald Trump has promised he'd let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild" on health, food and medicine as head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, a Democrat who ran as an independent but ended up supporting Trump in the 2024 presidential campaign, was grilled by senators over his views on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and more during two days of confirmation hearings.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, concluded Thursday's hearing by saying he was "struggling" with the nomination due to Kennedy's vaccine positions. Kennedy notably refused to say vaccines don't cause autism as he faced pointed question from lawmakers.
Key Headlines
Kennedy falsely claims COVID vaccines for children approved 'without scientific basis'
RFK Jr. claimed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended COVID-19 vaccines "without any scientific basis" for children.
The CDC says COVID-19 vaccines for children are safe and that adverse reactions are rare.
Health officials say clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines involved tens of thousands of people and have since helped save millions of lives.
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden referenced Kennedy’s petition from 2021 asking the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its authorization of all COVID-19 vaccines. The FDA denied the petition three months later.
Republican Sen. Grassley tells Kennedy to leave agriculture to other agencies
Kennedy has said he wants to reduce pesticides and other chemicals as he vows to take on the food industry, sparking some pushback from Republicans and the farming sector.
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley used the bulk of his time to tell Kennedy to leave agricultural issues to the appropriate agencies.
"I expect you to prioritize rural Americans health care needs on agriculture. In our meeting earlier this month, we talked at length about agriculture," he said. "You prefaced the conversation by saying you will not have jurisdiction over these issues. I expect you to leave agricultural practice regulations to the proper agencies."
Grassley has not yet said if he would support Kennedy's nomination.
RFK says he supports measles, polio vaccine, Wyden skeptical
Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden and Kennedy got into a heated back-and-forth over the nominee's controversial stances on vaccines.
Wyden brought up Kennedy's publication, "The Measles Book: Thirty-Five Secrets the Government and the Media Aren't Telling You about Measles and the Measles Vaccine," as an example of how he has pushed debunked claims on the vaccines.
Kennedy, however, said he would not block people from taking the measles and polio vaccines.
"I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking it," Kennedy testified.
Wyden did not appear convinced.
"Anyone who believes ought to look at the measles book you wrote saying parents have bene misled into thinking measles is a deadly disease. That is not true," the senator said.
RFK Jr. suffers from rare disorder making voice sound strained
Viewers watching or listening to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing may notice that his voice appears strained.
Kennedy suffers from spasmodic dysphonia, a rare disorder affecting the voice muscles in the larynx, also called the voice box, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Spasmodic dysphonia can cause the voice to break when speaking and can affect breathing, making it sound noisy and labored.