Defending himself against rapid-fire grilling from Senate Democrats and some Republicans during two days of Senate confirmation hearings beginning Jan. 29, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stated he is not anti-vaccine, but wants more transparency from pharmaceutical companies.
“My position has always been about ensuring that there is full disclosure of the risks and benefits of vaccines. We have a responsibility to make sure that the public is fully informed about what they are being asked to put into their bodies,” Kennedy said.
The nominee stated he believes in the value of vaccines, but argued that public health policies should be subjected to the same scrutiny as any other area of medicine. “We should be asking questions and ensuring that the public health system is not influenced by corporate interests. That is the only way to ensure that public health policies are truly in the best interest of the people,” he said.
“I’m not here to attack vaccines,” Kennedy repeatedly stated.
False Autism Claims
Kennedy is President Donald Trump’s pick to head up the Department of Health and Human Services. During his confirmation hearing, critics repeatedly pounced on one of his unsubstantiated claims: that the measles vaccine causes autism.
The hearing was convened by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Committee Ranking Member Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, delivered some of the harshest critiques of Kennedy’s views on vaccines and environmental policies.
“Mr. Kennedy, you’ve spent much of your public life questioning the safety of vaccines. This has contributed to a climate of misinformation,” Sanders stated. “How can you expect to serve if you continue to promote unproven theories that endanger the health of millions of Americans?”
Bernie Sanders
“The science is clear, and your rhetoric is dangerous,” said Sanders. The decisions you make can affect public health on a massive scale. How can we trust that you would prioritize science over conspiracy theories?”
“I’m not promoting conspiracy theories. I’m promoting transparency and asking tough questions, just as I have throughout my career. That is my right as an American,” Kennedy responded.
Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, delivered a warning to Kennedy. “I’m a Republican. I represent the amazing state of Louisiana and as a patriotic American, I want President Trump’s policies to succeed in making America and Americans more secure, more prosperous, healthier.”
“But if there is someone that is not vaccinated because of policies or attitudes you bring to the department and there is another 18-year-old who dies of a vaccine-preventable disease, it’ll be blown up in the press. The greatest tragedy will be her death. But I can also tell you an associated tragedy. It will cast a shadow over President Trump’s legacy, which I want to be the absolute best legacy it can be,” said Cassidy.
Caroline Kennedy, RFK Jr’s cousin, said in a viral video: “Bobby’s views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.”
