US President Donald Trump’s pick for the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faces a hard time during his first confirmation Senate hearing due to his controversial view.
According to Hindustan Times, RFK Jr., who was nominated by Trump to lead the health department, has been grilled about his views on vaccines, abortion, and his role in the deadly measles outbreak during his first confrontation hearing by Democratic senators on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
The 71-year-old defended himself during the hearing, saying, “News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither,” when the protester interrupted him by yelling, “You are,” to which he replied he is “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,” he continued.
Moreover, after that, he had a heated exchange with Sen. Ron Wyden, who confronted him about measles and grilled him over his remarks in the podcast that there is “no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
Wyden asked, “Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine?”
“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,” replied the 71-year-old.
Notably, however, Kennedy faced tough questions from Democrats during the hearing He, along with other Trump nominees, had strong backing from Republicans, who control the Senate with 53 votes to the Democrats' 47.
