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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.
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Fact-check: Kennedy and the American Samoa measles outbreak
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.
Democrats express exasperation with Kennedy's answers
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.
Kennedy stumbles over Medicare questions
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.
Kennedy says he will rescind rule over transgender discrimination
Sen. Josh Hawley asked Kennedy if he would rescind a rule from the HHS issued under the Biden administration over transgender discrimination,
Under the Affordable Care Act, physicians in the U.S. who receive federal funding must perform medical treatments based on sex, even if they do not support it.
In 2021, the Biden administration issued a rule saying this policy included transgender people.
Kennedy said he would, adding, “That rule is anti-science.”