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

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

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