Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, faced an intense three hours of questioning in his second day of hearings, with his chances of being confirmed appearing less certain by the end. Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee once again hammered Kennedy for promoting misinformation about vaccines, and his refusal to back down from those positions seemed to bother even some Republicans on the panel.
HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, made it clear he had “reservations” about Kennedy’s beliefs on vaccines causing autism — which has been widely disproven — and his long-documented skepticism of their efficacy.
“There’s a 70-year-old man, 71-year-old man, who spent decades criticizing vaccines and was financially vested in finding fault with vaccines,” Cassidy said. “Can he change his attitudes and approach now that he’ll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?”