By Under rigorous questioning from senators Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid out his vision to lead the Department of Health and Human Services while backtracking on his past statements in support of abortion and against vaccines.
Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate, is one of President Donald Trump’s more unorthodox Cabinet picks, as his nomination has drawn skepticism from those on the left and the right.
While the most aggressive lines of inquiry during his 3½-hour appearance before the Senate Finance Committee came from Democrats, Kennedy also stumbled facing questioning from Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who is expected to play a pivotal role in his confirmation, on the issue of Medicaid.
Kennedy said Medicaid premiums and deductibles were too high, saying most people who use the program are “not happy.” But most Medicaid enrollees don’t pay premiums or deductibles.
Cassidy chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which Kennedy will testify before Thursday. He ignored questions from NBC News about whether he was ready to support Kennedy after the hearing.
Democrats repeatedly brought up Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism Wednesday. In his opening statement, he sought to get ahead of attacks on the issue, prompting a brief eruption from a protester in the gallery.
“News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry,” Kennedy said.
“You are!” the person yelled before being ushered out of the chamber.
Kennedy continued: “I am neither; I am pro-safety. I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish, but that didn’t make me anti-fish. All of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care.”
Early on in the hearing, Kennedy and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the committee, engaged in a heated exchange as Wyden tried to nail down Kennedy’s stance on the measles vaccine.
“Is measles deadly, yes or no?” Wyden asked Kennedy, who didn’t directly answer the question. Kennedy contended again that he wasn’t anti-vaccine.
Wyden pressed Kennedy about his comments on a 2023 podcast in which he said, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
“Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine?” Wyden said.
Kennedy claimed statements he made on podcasts have “been repeatedly debunked.”
He also contended he wouldn’t dissuade people from getting certain vaccines.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate Finance Committee.Ben Curtis / AP
“I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking anything,” he said.
At another point, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., grew fiery as he challenged Kennedy on some of his past statements.
“Did you say that Lyme disease is highly likely, a materially engineered bioweapon? Did you say Lyme disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon?”
“I probably did say that,” Kennedy said.
Bennet then asked Kennedy about his past comments supporting abortion rights. When Kennedy began to quibble, Bennet interrupted.
“This matters!” he said, his voice rising. “This is a job where it is life and death … for families all over this country.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., noted that as Kennedy contended before the committee that he didn’t oppose vaccines, Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group he founded, was selling onesies online Wednesday that read “Unvaxxed Unafraid” and “No Vax. No problem.”
Sanders pressed Kennedy about whether he would urge the group to take the merchandise down since he supports vaccines. Kennedy said he no longer held a post with the group.
Senators in both parties also put Kennedy’s past comments in support of abortion rights under the microscope.
Last year, while he was running for president, Kennedy told a podcast host that he would support allowing women to have abortions at full term if that was their choice.
But just days later, he walked his position back, writing on X that “abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter.”
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., asked Kennedy whether federal law protects a pregnant woman’s right to emergency care if she has a life-threatening, incomplete miscarriage in an emergency room in a state where abortion is restricted.
“I don’t know,” Kennedy said. “The answer is I don’t know.”
Under questioning from Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Kennedy said he believed laws about abortion should be up to the states to decide. He then outlined Trump’s stances on abortion, including wanting to end federal funding and late-term abortions.
“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” Kennedy said. “I serve at the pleasure of the president. I’m going to implement his policies.”
In another notable exchange, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tried to extract a promise that Kennedy wouldn’t leave his role at HHS and profit from policies he helped put in place.
“I want to know if you will commit right now that not only will you not go to work for drug companies, you won’t go to work suing the drug companies and taking your rake out of that while you’re a secretary and for four years afterward?” Warren said.
Kennedy would say only that he wouldn’t take that money while he is health and human services secretary. Warren pressed on, saying he wasn’t answering the question.
“Senator, you’re asking me not to sue vaccine — pharmaceutical companies,” Kennedy interrupted.
“No, I am not!” Warren exclaimed, raising her voice.
Kennedy also tried to allay any concerns about his views on nutrition. While he spoke about the rise in chronic diseases and ingredients in food, he also noted that his “boss” likes to eat a McDonald’s cheeseburger and drink a Diet Coke.
“You should be able to do that,” Kennedy said to some chuckles about Trump’s penchant for eating fast food. “But you should know what the impacts are on your family and your health.”
As head of HHS, Kennedy would oversee powerful agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
He can afford to lose the support of only three Republicans if Democrats unite against him when the full Senate votes on his nomination. So far, no Republican senators have publicly opposed him.
After Wednesday’s hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a Finance Committee member who faces re-election in 2026, said he thought Kennedy cleared up his stance on vaccines.
“I’m in a presumptive lean yes position, and everything he did today hasn’t eroded that position,” Tillis said.
