Both Republicans and Democrats clash with RFK Jr. on vaccines, CDC turmoil

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused Kennedy of turning back on his statements during his confirmation hearing that he would not take away vaccines for Americans who want them.

"What you should be doing is honoring your promise that you made when you were looking to get confirmed in this job," Warren said. The senator took issue with changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, which public health officials and pharmacist groups have said will make it harder for young and healthy people to get the vaccine should they still choose to do so.

"I'm not taking them away from people, senator," Kennedy said repeatedly during the exchange.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, claimed thousands of deaths were reported in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) following COVID-19 vaccination.

This is missing crucial context about the VAERS database, which does not contain confirmed cases of vaccine injuries.

Rather, the database serves as an important early warning systems for unforeseen problems with approved vaccinations, though reports can be submitted voluntarily by anyone, meaning many of the reports may not be accurate or the injury was not actually caused by a vaccine.

-ABC News' Youri Benajaoud

Speaking outside of the hearing, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said he has heard from families who said they are worried about the lack of access to vaccines after major changes to policy under Kennedy’s watch.

“I think that so many families are already going to bed at night worried that there won't be a vaccine for their kids, their loved ones and, clearly, Mr. Kennedy is on a mission where the facts don't matter,” Wyden said.

-ABC News’ Arthur Jones II

As Kennedy testifies in front of senators on major vaccine changes at HHS, polls show most Americans support vaccine requirements.

Most U.S. adults -- 79% -- say parents should be required to have children vaccinated against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella to attend school, according to a June poll from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

That figure includes 72% of all parents, 90% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans surveyed.

Additionally, 81% of parents across all political backgrounds said they believe public schools should require measles and polio vaccines for students, allowing for some health and religious exceptions, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation and Washington Post poll of parents and guardians of children under 18 years old surveyed in July and August.

What’s more, a Reuters/Ipsos poll from August found that 55% of Americans say the country's public health is going in the wrong track, with 29% saying it's going in the right direction.

-ABC News' Dan Merkle, Oren Oppenheim and Benjamin Siegel