Trump HHS -Nominated RFK JR returns to Capitol Hill for Round 2 After Heated First Day With Hearings

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominees to Secretary of the Institute of Health and Human Services (HHS), are back at Capitol Hill for another day of Senate Confirmation hearings after a grilling of Democrats during a disputed first day.

Kennedy will take questions on Thursday in front of the Senate’s Health, Education, Work and Pension Committee.

Wednesday, in front of the Senate Finance Committee, which will vote on Kennedy’s confirmation, there was plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments from the vaccine skeptical and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and supporting Trump.

But Kennedy’s uneven performance did not seem to hurt his confirmation, as no Republicans on the panel expressed opposition to his nomination to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the country’s food and health. These agencies include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Multiple outbreaks at flammable RFK JR -Confirmation Hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Witnesses during a hearing of Senate Financing on his nomination to be HHS Secretary on January 29, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrats in the committee repeatedly pointed to Kennedy’s controversial vaccine views, including his repeated claims in recent years that connect vaccines to autism, which has been debunked by scientific research.

They also highlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chairman or head of legal adviser to Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded, which has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government several times, including a challenge over the approval of the covide vaccine for children .

“Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks and charlatans, especially when it comes to safety and efficiency of vaccines. He has made it his life’s work to saw doubt and deter parents from getting their children’s life -saving vaccines,” late. Ron Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the panel, accused in his opening declaration.

See: RFK JR warns that America’s health is in ‘Sorfious Condition’

The senator also pointed to former Kennedy vaccine comments in podcasts, including one from 2020, when he said he would “pay something” to be able to go back in time and not vaccinate his children.

“Are you lying for Congress today when you say you’re pro-vaccine? Or are you lying on all these podcasts?” Wyden asked.

Kennedy, who pushed back into a heated exchange, said the statements he made on podcasts have “been repeatedly debunked.”

And he promised he would do nothing to prevent Americans from obtaining certain vaccines.

“I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I don’t want to do anything like HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking something,” Kennedy said.

Democrat Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado accused Kennedy of “starting with half truths, peddling false statements.”

RFK JR accuses the Democrats of pushing dishonest tale

And Democrat Sener Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, who has known Kennedy for decades, goes back to their days as a law school student and roommates at the University of Virginia, said to his friend, “honestly you scare people.”

Kennedy was also Heckled several times near the start of the hearing.

As Kennedy delivered his opening comments and said, “News reports have claimed that I am an anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I’m not. I’m pro-security,” a protest cried, “you lie.”

The Heckler was led out of the hearing work by the Capitol Police, just like another demonstrator minutes later.

And another demonstrator was discovered in the audience who had a sign reading, “Vaccines Save Lives, No Rfk Jr.”

A protest stops with a sign reading, “Vaccines Save Lives,” as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Witnesses during his Senate Confirmation Hearing on January 29, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the country’s most-pleased political dynasty, launched a long shot campaign for the democratic presidential election against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later he switched to an independent race for the White House.

Kennedy gave big headlines again in August last year as he dropped his presidential bidder and approved Trump. While Kennedy had long identified himself as a Democrat and repeatedly called on his late father, former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both murdered in the 1960s – built Kennedy in the later years relationship with height-right leaders who are partly due to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Trump announced shortly after the November election he would nominate Kennedy to his cabinet to run HHS.

Now President Donald Trump offers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Welcome to the stage at a campaign management on October 23, 2024 in Duluth, GA. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In the two months ago Trump’s announcement, it is not only Democrats who have raised questions about Kennedy’s confirmation. Social Conservative Republicans questioned their previous comments in support of abortion rights.

“My faith is that we should leave it to the woman. We should not have the government involved, even if it is full term,” Kennedy said as he ran for president.

But since the approval of Trump, Kennedy has gone back his attitude towards abortion. And in an exchange Wednesday with the Democrat late. Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, Kennedy said, “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy.”

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a former two-time democratic presidential candidate, claimed Kennedy made a “larger U-turn” in abortion.

Kennedy seemed to fight as he answered questions about how he would reform Medicare and Medicaid, the massive government’s health programs used by millions of elderly, disabled and low -income Americans. He did misleading about how Medicaid works with senators offering corrections.

“I don’t have a broad proposal to run the program,” Kennedy said of Medicaid.

And he said Trump hadn’t asked him to cut the program, but rather “asked me to do better.”

Kennedy, if obvious views of Big Pharma And the food industry has also given rise to controversy, promised that “if confirmed, I will do everything I can to put Americans’ health back on track.”

While Democrats may find common grounds with Kennedy’s goal of shifting the focus of the agencies, he would oversee the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including revision of dietary guidelines aimed at ultra -processed foods and come to the root causes of chronic diseases Kennedy complained That they are against him because he is Trump’s nominees.

“Now they are against me because everything President Trump makes, every decision he makes must be lamponed, spotted, discredited, marginalized, destroyed, “Kennedy said.

RFK JR is likely to be confirmed as health secretary, Fox News Medical Analyst predicts

With Republicans checking the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose support from three GOP senators whose Democrats are united against his confirmation. During Wednesday’s hearing, no Republicans seemed to oppose the nomination.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina seemed to lean into the Democrats’ attack on Kennedy by asking, “I got a really quick question for you: Are you a conspiracy theorist?”

Kennedy replied that it “is a pejorative used mainly to me to prevent me from asking difficult questions about powerful interests.”

GOP -SEN. Steve Daines from Montana, a chemical engineer, noted that there were several Republican doctors in the committee.

“We believe in science. I am grateful that you do too,” said Daines.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor who said he had an “honest conversation” with Kennedy about immunizations when they met this month, did not ask about vaccines during the committee’s consultation. Instead, he held his questions about federal health programs, including Medicare.

Meanwhile, the GOP was aiming. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin aims at the Democrats of the Committee for what he claimed was “hostility on the other side. … I’m disappointed with that.”

After Wednesday’s hearing, the Democrats held up their criticism.

“I think you saw today that he is not backing from any of his truly crazy, Losony conspiracy beliefs,” Sen said. Chris Murphy from Connecticut to journalists.

And Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, who is believed to be one of the few Democrats who may support Kennedy’s affirmation, said, “I don’t think it went well for him.”

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But the GOP -sen. Roger Marshall from Kansas, who sits on the Finance Committee, pointed to Democrats on the panel and said, “I understand their concerns about vaccines. I think Bobby puts these concerns to bed.”

And Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana told journalists that Kennedy “was doing well today. I expect him to do well tomorrow.”