What to know about RFK Jr.’s Senate Confirmation Hearing to be Health Secretary

Washington (AP) – In a disputed confirmation hearing to become the country’s top health care provider, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fought to answer questions about Medicare and MedicaidPrograms that affect tens of thousands of millions of Americans, or to provide details of how he would work to reduce the cost of health care.

Kennedy had been exposed to a well-funded opposition campaign from Republicans and Democrats who highlighted his anti-vaccine rhetoric and support for abortion access. Democrats questioned his previous comments, while Republicans praised him for his ideas for reducing food additives and hoping to investigate an increase in illnesses.

As President Donald Trump’s election to be secretary of health and human services, he ended Wednesday’s three -hour consultation for the Senate Finance Committee with strong endorsements from Republicans for him to lead the department that accounts for $ 1.7 trillion in federal expenses.

But Kennedy needs support from almost all Republicans to land the job. And a key vote from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy by Louisiana, a doctor who leads up for the health, education, work and pension committee, which Kennedy will sit before Thursday, still seemed uncertain.

Kennedy had no response to Cassidy, who asked the nominee to share plans for Medicaid Reform, a taxpayer-funded program of several trillion dollars covering health care for about 80 million people, including children. Republicans have said they may have to make deep cuts to Medicaid to finance Trump’s proposal.

After Cassidy pressed him several times, Kennedy finally replied, “I don’t have a broad proposal to run the program.”

He continued to mistakenly how the biggest programs on the agency work, and evokes corrections from senators throughout the consultation. Medicaid, he said wrong, is fully paid for by the federal government – it is not; States and federal taxpayers are funding it. Later he talked about Medica’s “high prizes and high self -part”, although the almost free program has none. He seemed confused about questions about the hundreds of health clinics that the agency is funding in cities across the country or the role it plays in a federal law that requires emergency room to stabilize anyone who presents in their facility.

And on some of the most controversial questions – like his plans for abortion – he exposed to Trump. Kennedy, a long -time Democrat, had previously said during his failed presidential bid that he supported access to abortion, but on Wednesday he said any abortion is a “tragedy.”

Views of vaccines still the biggest question for Democrats

Kennedy tried to assure the senators that he supports vaccines from children and pointed out that his children have been vaccinated. “I think vaccines play a critical role in health care,” Kennedy told the committee.

Republicans did not ask about Kennedy’s view of vaccines. However, Democrats repeatedly made previous comments or evidence that Kennedy has deterred their use. The accusations often led to a tight back and forth and outbreaks from the audience.

Democrats also pointed to Kennedy’s writings, podcast appearances and other comments to show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories and untested alternative remedies, especially when it comes to the safety and efficiency of the vaccines. Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado pushed Kennedy over controversial and false claims that he has made about Covid-19, pesticides and AIDS. Kennedy recognized some of the statements and refused others.

Bennet repeated, “This is a job where it is the life and death of the children that I used to work with in Denver public schools and for families everywhere in this country suffering.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, said he approved Kennedy’s slogan, “Make America Healthy Again,” but the committee stopped there. He accused Kennedy of being hypocritical about his vaccine views. To prove his point, Sanders showed a photo of baby Onesies that says “Uvaxxed not scared”, which sold on the website of the Children’s Health Defense, Anti-Vaccine Advocacy Group, which Kennedy led until recently.

Kennedy said he had nothing to do with the product, pointing out that he is no longer with the group.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Repeatedly asked Kennedy if he would agree not to vaccine preventing cervical cancer. He earned $ 850,000 from the event last year. If it was approved as health secretary, Warren raised several changes that Kennedy could make that could enrich the profits from such litigation, including the appointment of anti-vaccine advocates to vaccine guidance panels, remove vaccines from recommendations, or change the way the vaccine damage compensation program works .

He would not commit himself to Warren’s Ask.

“No one should fool here, as secretary of HHS Robert Kennedy wants the power to undermine vaccines and vaccine making throughout our country,” Warren accused.

Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota meanwhile, Kennedy asked to explain his unfounded proposal that a dramatic increase in school shooters in recent decades could be linked to an increase in antidepressant use.

“These statements you have made to connect antidepressants to school shootings reinforce the stigma that people who experience mental health face every single day,” said Smith, who shared that she enjoyed using the drugs as a young person woman.

Republicans so little reason for concern, much appetite on support

Some Republicans said Kennedy appeared unharmed to what they saw as a pile-on of attacks by Democratic Senators. If Democrats vote in a block against Kennedy, he can only lose four Republican votes and still win affirmation.

There had been some opposition to his nomination from the Conservatives, especially former Vice President Mike Pence, over Kennedy’s support for abortion rights. Under close guard was Republican Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma who is against abortion.

He and Kennedy have had “some disagreement over the question of life,” Lankford said, but Kennedy repeatedly assured him that he would follow Trump’s lead on the question.

However, abortion was a flash point for Democrats who reset on their plans around the abortion pill. Kennedy said Trump has asked him to study the security of the medicine, which advocates against abortion have lobed to be further limited. Democrats opposed the drug has been examined for a quarter of a century.

Kennedy said he will use the National Institutes of Health to carry out more research on food additives, and he would work closely with the US Department of Agriculture to look at the federally funded school lunch program as well as food aid for the poor.

But he promised not to ban certain foods. After all, his boss would be unhappy if he did.

“I don’t want to take food away from anyone,” he said. “If you like a cheeseburger – a McDonald’s cheeseburger and a dietary cook as my boss – should you be able to get them.”

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Associated Press Authores Stephen Groves and Matthew Perrone contributed.