
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trumpâs nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is back on Capitol Hill for a second day of Senate confirmation hearings after a grilling by Democrats during a contentious first day on Wednesday.
Kennedy will take questions on Thursday in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
On Wednesday, in front of the Senate Finance Committee, which will vote on Kennedyâs confirmation, there were plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments by the vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump.
But Kennedyâs uneven performance didnât appear to do damage to his confirmation, as no Republican on the panel voiced opposition to his nomination to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nationâs food and health. Those agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Democrats on the committee repeatedly pointed to Kennedyâs controversial vaccine views, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.
They also spotlighted Kennedyâs service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Childrenâs Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.
âMr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks and charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Heâs made it his lifeâs work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines,â Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the panel, charged in his opening statement.
The senator also pointed to past Kennedy vaccine comments in podcasts, including one from 2020 when he said he would âpay anythingâ to be able to go back in time and not vaccinate his kids.
âAre you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine? Or did you lie on all those podcasts?â Wyden asked.
Pushing back in a heated exchange, Kennedy said the statements he made on podcasts have âbeen repeatedly debunked.â
And he vowed he would do nothing to prevent Americans from obtaining certain vaccines.
âI 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 anything,â Kennedy said.
Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado accused Kennedy of âpeddling half-truths, peddling false statements.â
And Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has known Kennedy for decades, dating back to their days as law school students and roommates at the University of Virginia, told his friend, âFrankly, you frighten people.â
Kennedy was also heckled multiple times near the start of the hearing.
As Kennedy delivered his opening comments and said, âNews reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety,â a protester shouted, âYou lie.â
The heckler was led out of the hearing room by Capitol Police, as was a second protester minutes later.
And another protester was spotted in the audience holding a sign reading, âVaccines Save Lives, No RFK JR.âÂ
The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nationâs most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.
Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy â who were both assassinated in the 1960s â Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.
Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.
In the two months since Trumpâs announcement, itâs not just Democrats whoâve raised questions about Kennedyâs confirmation. Social conservative Republicans took issue with his past comments in support of abortion rights.
âMy belief is we should leave it to the woman. We shouldnât have the government involved, even if itâs full term,â Kennedy said as he ran for president.Â
But since endorsing Trump, Kennedy has walked back his stance on abortion. And in an exchange Wednesday with Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Kennedy said, âI agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy.â
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a former two-time Democrat presidential candidate, argued that Kennedy made a âmajor U-turnâ on abortion.
Kennedy was also questioned about how he would reform Medicare and Medicaid, the massive government healthcare programs used by millions of older, disabled and low-income Americans.
âI donât have a broad proposal for dismantling the program,â Kennedy said of Medicaid.
And he said Trump hadnât asked him to cut the program but rather âasked me to make it better.â
Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, vowed that âif confirmed, I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track.â
While Democrats may find common ground with Kennedyâs aim to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases, Kennedy lamented that they oppose him because heâs Trumpâs nominee.
Now theyâre against me because anything that President Trump does, any decision he makes, has to be lampooned, derided, discredited, marginalized, vilified,â Kennedy said.
With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation. During Wednesdayâs hearing, no Republicans appeared to oppose the nomination.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina appeared to lean into the Democratsâ attacks on Kennedy by asking, âI got a real quick question for you: Are you a conspiracy theorist?â
Kennedy answered that it âis a pejorative thatâs applied to me mainly to keep me from asking difficult questions of powerful interests.â
GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, a chemical engineer, noted that there were several Republican doctors on the committee.
âWe believe in science. Iâm thankful that you do, too,â Daines said.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who said he had a âfrank conversationâ with Kennedy about immunizations when they met this month, didnât ask about vaccines during the committee hearing. Instead, he kept his questions about federal healthcare programs, including Medicare.
Meanwhile, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin took aim at Democrats on the committee for what he claimed was âhostility on the other side. ⊠Iâm disappointed with it.â
Following Wednesdayâs hearing, Democrats kept up their criticism.
âI think you saw today that heâs not backing down from any of his really crazy, loony conspiracy beliefs,â Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters.
And Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who is thought to be one of the few Democrats who may support Kennedyâs confirmation, said, âI donât think it went well for him.â
But GOP Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who sits on the Finance Committee, pointed to Democrats on the panel and said, âI understand their concerns about vaccines. I think Bobby put those concerns to bed.â
And Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana told reporters that Kennedy âdid great today. I expect him to do great tomorrow.â