Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is President Trump’s choose to guide the Division of Well being and Human Companies. He confronted extra powerful questions in his second affirmation listening to, held Thursday earlier than the Senate HELP Committee.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s historical past of stoking nervousness about vaccines was the central matter on Thursday in his second day of Senate affirmation hearings. President Trump’s option to run the Division of Well being and Human Companies, Kennedy confronted powerful questions from Democrats, in addition to a number of key Republican senators.
Sen. Invoice Cassidy, R-La., a doctor and chairman of the committee, stated he confronted a “dilemma” over whether or not to help Kennedy’s affirmation on the finish of greater than three hours of questioning Thursday.
‘Gold customary science’
All through the Senate HELP (Well being, Schooling, Labor, and Pensions) Committee listening to, Kennedy referred to as for a return to “gold customary science” and stated he would help vaccines if proven information backing their security. However when offered with such information, Kennedy stated he wasn’t aware of it or cited causes to doubt it.
When Cassidy pointed to a 2014 meta-analysis of 1.2 million youngsters that concluded there isn’t any hyperlink between autism and vaccines, Kennedy responded: “You present me these scientific research, and also you and I can meet about it — and there are different research as properly, and I might love to indicate these to you.”
These sorts of remarks appeared to hassle Cassidy, who spoke a couple of younger affected person he handled in Louisiana going through liver failure from Hepatitis B, which may have been prevented if the affected person had been vaccinated. He additionally stated that two youngsters simply died in a Louisiana ICU “from vaccine-preventable illnesses.” He stated his experiences as a doctor satisfied him of the significance of vaccines.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shakes palms with Sen. Invoice Cassidy, R-La., after the Senate HELP Committee listening to. Cassidy, a physician, stated two youngsters not too long ago died in Louisiana of vaccine-preventable illnesses.
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“[Can a] 71 year-old-man who spent many years criticizing vaccines, and who’s financially vested to find fault with vaccines — can he change his attitudes and method now that he’ll have a very powerful place influencing vaccine coverage in the USA?” Cassidy requested. “I obtained to determine that out for my vote.”
Cassidy’s help may very well be vital to Kennedy’s approval. He additionally sits on the Finance committee, which has the say over whether or not Kennedy’s nomination advances to a full Senate vote.
Vaccine questions from each events
Most Republicans on the committee appeared to welcome Kennedy’s views, together with with regard to vaccines. Sen. Tom Tuberville, R-Ala., stated throughout the listening to that his soon-expected first granddaughter wouldn’t be “a pincushion,” referring to vaccines. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., stated folks needs to be open-minded about any risk that may very well be a think about autism.
Kennedy usually didn’t reply straight when pressed on his many years of anti-vaccine activism. Many senators described Kennedy as extraordinarily influential. “I’ve constituents who partly credit score you for his or her determination to not vaccinate their little one,” Cassidy advised him.
Throughout one trade with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Kennedy stated he would advocate dad and mom vaccinate their youngsters in opposition to measles. However when requested by Cassidy to state “unequivocally and with out qualification” that measles and Hepatitis B vaccines do not trigger autism, Kennedy wouldn’t give a sure or no reply.
In Wednesday’s listening to, Kennedy stated that his personal youngsters have been vaccinated and that he was supportive of the childhood vaccine schedule. Nonetheless, Mary Holland, CEO of Kids’s Well being Protection, the anti-vaccine advocacy group Kennedy is carefully allied with and used to run, advised Politico that she anticipated Kennedy to undertake a “penetrating” overview of that schedule if he is confirmed as HHS secretary, and insisted that his longtime skepticism of vaccines has not modified.
An emotional second
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the room to silence whereas questioning Kennedy Thursday, talking tearfully about her 36-year-old son’s cerebral palsy.
“A day doesn’t go by once I do not take into consideration — what did I do once I was pregnant with him that may have precipitated the hydrocephalus that has so impacted his life? So please don’t counsel that anyone on this physique, of both political get together, would not wish to know what the reason for autism is,” Hassan stated. “While you proceed to sow doubt about settled science, it makes it inconceivable for us to maneuver ahead.”
One other tense second got here when Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, the newly elected Democratic senator from Maryland, questioned Kennedy. Alsobrooks requested about his declare in a 2021 look that: “We shouldn’t be giving Black folks the identical vaccine schedule that is given to whites as a result of their immune system is healthier than ours.”
Kennedy replied by mentioning “a collection of research,” that will embrace 2014 analysis from the Mayo Clinic that confirmed a extra strong immune response amongst African American members in a examine of the rubella vaccine.
“What totally different vaccine schedule would you say I ought to have obtained?” Alsobrooks, who’s Black, requested Kennedy. “That’s so harmful,” she added.
‘Folks in authority lie’
Democrats continued questioning Kennedy on a few of his wilder claims that lack proof, together with that Wi-Fi and 5G trigger most cancers, that AIDS is a unique illness in Africa than within the U.S., and that Lyme illness could have been developed as a navy bioweapon.
Kennedy stated he stood behind his claims about Wi-Fi and his description of AIDS. He stated he “by no means believed” Lyme was created by the navy, however didn’t disavow his earlier statements. He cited three books suggesting the speculation that he admitted he had not learn completely.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., confronted Kennedy a couple of social media publish referring to the 9/11 assaults he made throughout his presidential run final yr, Kennedy wrote: “It is exhausting to inform what’s a conspiracy concept and what is not” and stated if elected he wouldn’t “take sides on 9/11.”
“As a basic matter, do you discover it exhausting to inform what’s a conspiracy concept and what is not? Is that sort of a basic deficit that you simply discover in your individual analytical skills?” Kaine requested. Kennedy responded that his father had taught him that “folks in authority lie.”
A weak grasp on well being coverage
Kennedy stumbled in his first listening to on Wednesday when requested about Medicare and Medicaid — two monumental medical insurance packages he would oversee as HHS secretary. On Thursday, senators continued questioning his fundamental data of the packages and of well being coverage extra broadly. Hassan quizzed him on totally different points of Medicare and his solutions have been incorrect.
He was questioned by Rating Member Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., about congressional Republican proposals to make dramatic cuts to Medicaid. Kennedy stated he hadn’t seen these proposals. “You are going to have a big affect on well being care coverage” if confirmed, Sanders stated.
“I can solely inform you what President Trump has advised me, which is that he desires me to make Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare higher,” Kennedy stated.
