By Ahmed Aboulenein, Stephanie Kelly and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the top U.S. health agency, came under attack at a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, with Democratic lawmakers accusing him of covering up his anti-vaccine views and embracing conspiracy theories to dissuade use of lifesaving medicines.
Kennedy sought to defend his record to the Senate Finance Committee, promising lawmakers that he was not against vaccines, and saying he would address rapidly increasing rates of chronic disease as well as follow Trump’s direction on abortion.
“I believe that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare. All of my kids are vaccinated,” said Kennedy, 70, who attended the hearing with his wife Cheryl Hines and some of his children. “We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world… This is an existential threat.”
If confirmed, Kennedy would run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending, including agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs covering tens of millions of Americans.
The environmental lawyer is seen as a controversial pick on both sides of the aisle chiefly for having cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
During their questioning, Democratic senators brought up past statements from Kennedy made over decades, including that no vaccine was safe and effective. They quoted other Kennedy remarks made without evidence, including that COVID-19 was targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people, and that it was “highly likely” that Lyme disease was a military bioweapon.
“The receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks (and) charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines,” said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden in an opening statement. “He has made it his life work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids lifesaving vaccines.”
Democratic Senator Michael Bennet described Kennedy as someone who speaks with conviction but has a record that includes half truths and false statements.
“It doesn’t matter what you come here and say,” Bennet said. “It’s not reflective of what you really believe.”
Most of the nearly dozen Republican senators who questioned Kennedy on Wednesday appeared to support the nominee, with some expressing appreciation for his goals of tackling obesity, diabetes and other illnesses.
“Can’t we come together as a nation and do this?” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson.
’50/50′
Finance Committee members will vote on whether to send Trump’s pick to the full Senate for confirmation. A committee spokesperson said senators had until 5 p.m. (2200 GMT) on Wednesday to submit questions for the record, and Kennedy has to answer them all before a vote can take place.
Kennedy is also scheduled to appear in front of a Senate panel that oversees health on Thursday.
Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and Novavax fell 9.4% and 7.5%, respectively, on Wednesday.
Jefferies analyst Michael Yee expects Kennedy to have a “50/50” chance of advancing to the full Senate for a confirmation vote and sees a major biotech “RFK rally” if he fails to secure confirmation.
The Republican-controlled Senate has not rejected any of Trump’s nominees so far. His controversial defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, squeaked by in a 51-50 vote after Vice President JD Vance was needed to break a tie on Friday, despite concerns that the nominee was not qualified for the position, and allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
Speaking to reporters in the halls of the Senate outside the hearing, Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he thought Kennedy was doing a “great job” and that he would likely clear the Finance Committee. Tillis was one of the senators that opposition groups were targeting to vote against Kennedy.
On two separate occasions, protesters disrupted Kennedy’s hearing. One shouted, “He lies,” before being removed from the room. Some Kennedy supporters wore “Make America Healthy Again” hats.
‘NO VAX, NO PROBLEM’
Kennedy has decried the U.S. food industry for adding ingredients he says make Americans less healthy. During the hearing, he said fewer processed foods should be available in school lunches or for purchase with food stamps. Both those programs fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture rather than HHS.
Some Republicans’ questions were more pointed, including from Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who told Kennedy to leave agricultural practices to the USDA.
Kennedy seemed unsure about how to answer some questions on Medicare and Medicaid, which account for most of the nation’s health budget. In response to Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, Kennedy said he did not have a proposal for reforming the Medicaid program.
Senator Bernie Sanders questioned Kennedy over his involvement with the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, which he founded. Sanders pointed to “onesie” clothes for babies sold by the group that tout phrases such as “No Vax, No Problem.”
“I have no power over that organization,” Kennedy said. He had resigned as chairman in December, writing at the time, “it has been one of my greatest privileges and honors to lead this group over all these years.”
Healthcare coverage advocacy group Protect Our Care organized a rally against Kennedy ahead of the hearing, displaying mock headstones to represent deaths in 2019 in Samoa following a measles outbreak there. The group says that Kennedy had visited the area at that time and spread misinformation about vaccines. Kennedy denies any role in exacerbating that outbreak.
Caroline Kennedy, another member of the storied American political family, on Tuesday urged senators to vote against her cousin’s nomination, calling him a predator with dangerous views on healthcare.
Some Republicans also object to Kennedy’s past comments in support of abortion rights, as well as his perceived stance against the pharmaceutical industry. During the hearing, Kennedy said he agrees with Trump that states should decide access to abortion.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Richard Cowan in Washington, Stephanie Kelly in New York; Additional reporting by Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Caroline Humer, Daniel Wallis and Bill Berkrot)
