Top Republican 'struggling' with RFK Jr.'s nomination over Kennedy's vaccine views

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is one key Republican vote to watch throughout Kennedy's nomination.

On Wednesday, she said it was "premature" to decide on Kennedy before the end of the hearings.

During her allotted time for questioning on Thursday, Collins asked Kennedy about his view on certain vaccines and herd immunity, as well as on Lyme disease -- a personal issue for both Collins and Kennedy.

Kennedy assured her he believed the polio vaccine was safe and he would not reduce its availability if confirmed. He also said there's "nobody who will fight harder for a treatment for Lyme disease," which Collins said she appreciated.

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey discussed Kennedy's trip to American Samoa just before a deadly measles outbreak. Markey said he believed the incident disqualified Kennedy from leading HHS.

Kennedy has said he had nothing to do with the outbreak.

The 2019 measles outbreak led to more than 5,700 cases and 83 deaths. The Ministry of Health cited Kennedy's visit and rhetoric as exacerbating vaccine hesitancy at a crucial moment, according to a publication from The Lancet.

Read more here.

During Wednesday's hearing, Kennedy tried to assuage concerns from both sides of the aisle on his vaccine stance -- repeatedly claiming he is not anti-vaccine but "pro-safety" and vowing not to discourage people from taking immunizations for measles and polio.

Thursday, he's pushing back more to defend some of his past controversial views and statements. He's also avoiding yes or no questions on where he stands on several vaccines and other programs, leaving several Democrats exasperated.

So far, no Democrats have said they will support his nomination. His answers so far in the confirmation process seem unlikely to change that.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, of New Hampshire, asked Kennedy a series of questions about parts of Medicare, over which Kennedy seemed to stumble.

Kennedy incorrectly said Medicare Part A was mainly for primary care or physicians. In fact, Medicare A covers inpatient care in hospitals, critical access hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.

He failed to describe what Medicare Part B is, which covers medically necessary services and supplies, and preventive services.

"Mr. Kennedy, you want us to confirm you to be in charge of Medicare, but it appears that you don't know the basics of this program," Hassan said.