Washington – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has undertaken to make America as secretary for health and human services from President Trump health again in questions such as abortion rights.
Kennedy portrayed as a lawyer for regular people who feel exceeded by firmly anchored interests.
“In my attorney, I often disturbed the status quo by asking unpleasant questions,” said Brentwood's resident. “Well, I will not apologize for it. We have massive health problems in this country, which we have to face honestly, and the first thing I have done in the past 20 years every morning chronic disease epidemic and to help America's children. “
He encountered difficult questions, especially from Democrats, but also from some Republicans.
“The income shows that Mr. Kennedy has accepted conspiracy theories, quacks and charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and effectiveness of vaccines” opening minutes of the hearing.
“He made it a life's work to sow doubts and stop parents from getting their children's life -saving vaccines,” said Wyden. “It was lucrative for him and put him on the immense strength. This is the profile of someone who chases money and influence everywhere, even if this means the tragic death of children and other people in need of protection. “
In his testimony, Kennedy often contradicted his earlier positions and did not seem to fully grasp details about important health programs when he is commissioned when he has been confirmed and said that he is allegations that he is a conspiracy theorist.
“This is a devices … that mainly used me to prevent me from asking difficult questions from strong interests,” said Kennedy, 71, the son of the former atty. General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
The hearing on Wednesday was the first of two senators to consider Kennedy's nomination for a spacious federal health bureaucracy with a budget of $ 1.8 billion and 90,000 employees. The Food and Drug Administration, the centers for the control and prevention of diseases and the National Institutes of Health fall under the roof of the department. A committee vote as to whether the nomination should be driven into the full Senate is not yet planned, and its confirmation opportunities are still unclear.
Kennedy's wife, actor Cheryl Hines and other family members sat behind him during the 3½-hour session. A few hundred people crowded the chamber, mainly Kennedy supporters who wore T-shirts from his unsuccessful bid of 2024 presidents and made baseball caps “America Again Heart”.
However, there were some opponents, two of whom were ejected from the hearing room of the Senate Committee after they had interrupted the procedure. One shouted: “He lies!” And the other waved a sign with the inscription “Salvation vaccines save life”. Members of the crowd shouted: “We love you, bobby!” how the latter was brought out by Capitol police officers.
Many questions from the senators focused on Kennedy's earlier skepticism towards vaccines. After Kennedy was a praised environmental attorney, he was served as chairman of the child health defense for several years, a non -profit organization that incorrectly claims that vaccines in childhood cause autism.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Showed pictures of organic seedling-outs, which were sold by the group for $ 25.99, with their “unvaxxed, not anxious” and “No Vax. No problem, ”Kennedy urged her to reject her.
Kennedy replied that he had no control over the organization that he had recently left. “I support vaccines,” he said.
Previously, Kennedy had argued that news reports about his views were misleading and found that all of his children were vaccinated and said he had supported the schedule for the vaccination in childhood.
“The only thing I want is a good science,” he said.
But his alleged role in a fatal outbreak of measles in Samoa was often raised during the hearing.
The outbreak was triggered by the Deaths of two children Who received vaccines with expired muscle relaxans instead of water. The Samoan government stopped vaccinations for 10 months while it was examined. During this time, Kennedy Samoa and met with prominent anti-access activists And was involved with a “significant disinformation campaign” that undermined trust in the measles shots, Alec Emermeromathe country's general director told, told The guardian.
When the outbreak ended, more than 5,700 people were sick by measles and 83 of them died. Almost all of them were infants, toddlers and children under 5 years.
Senator Bernie Sanders points to a representation of infant seedling straps during the hearing of Robert Kennedy's confirmation hearing.
(Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)
Kennedy who sent a letter The Samoan Prime Minister, who asked him to investigate whether the vaccines themselves could have caused the diseases, he said on Wednesday that he had no role.
On Wednesday, Kennedy expressed his support for the measles vaccine and the polio vaccine, possibly an attempt to win the support of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who suffered from the disease as a child.
Kennedy tried to concentrate his comments on topics in which there is a broad agreement such as nutrition and drug abuse.
The senators expressed support for Kennedy's goal of improving the quality of the food, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramOr snap. The program can currently be used to buy snacks such as potato chips and sugary lemonades.
Kennedy accused the nation's deteriorating health to the rise of “highly chemically intensive processed foods”. He found that objects such as fries and breakfast cereals in the United States contain more ingredients than in other countries and said without evidence that scientists have “made a deliberate decision not to investigate things that really make us sick”.
“We have to repair our food supply,” he said.
During an exchange about mental health and drug abuse, Kennedy mentioned his well-known 14-year-old heroin addiction a topic that takes the fentanyl crisis and after the opioid crisis.
Caroline Kennedy, a former democratic ambassador and daughter of John. F. Kennedy touched the drug use of her cousin in a letter published on Tuesday, in which he argued against his confirmation.
In addition to the description of his earlier residence as drug caves that other family members led in addiction, she blew Kennedy about vaccines because of his views that he was addicted to power and described disturbing scenes in which he would use a mixer to feed chickens and mice, To feed his Hawks. The letter was first reported by the Washington Post.
Kennedy was a democrat for decades before running unsuccessfully for the president in 2024. In August he broke out the race and supported Trump, a man he had previously called “a sociopath”.
Senators tried to use Kennedy's previous liberal positions on both sides of the gang.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WIS.) Non-thanked Kennedy for his environmental and children's health interest representation and remembered when Kennedy called him to discuss with Trump about a common goal of discussing what was the cause of chronic diseases 60% of the Americans affect.
“We have to get to the answers, but we have to heal and combine this divided nation even more,” said Johnson. “I thought, Wow, here is someone from the left, someone with whom I do not agree with President Trump in many political issues and concentrates on an area of agreement, which the American people want to desperate.”
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi shakes his hand during his visit to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
(Missiona Simo/Samoa Observer about Associated Press)
The Democrats raised Kennedy's public support for abortion rights to need their GOP colleagues.
“It is noteworthy that you have such a long recording of the fighting reproductive freedom of women, and it is really great that my Republican colleagues vote so open to a pro-choice hhs secretary,” Senator Maggie Hassan (DN. H.) said.
Kennedy was peppered with questions about his ability to work for a president who has already taken steps to restrict access to abortions. He replied by pointing out the topic of disagreements about the topic in his large Catholic family.
“I came from a family that was separated on life and selection. Today I have cousins who believe that abortion corresponds to the murder at all times, ”said Kennedy. “Now there are other people who believe the opposite. But the good with my family that I really loved is that we were able to have these conversations and respect each other, and I wish we could do that nationally. “
Dr. Georges Benjamin, Managing Director of the American Public Health Assn., After the hearing, said that he was in difficulties in both healthcare and management through Kennedy's experience and that the candidate did not seem to understand the difference between the Medicaid program and the exchange , on which humans can buy insurance plans.
“He did not trust me to follow the evidence of science,” said Benjamin, who previously worked as a secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental hygiene.