Trump health pick Kennedy under attack for vaccine views at contentious Senate hearing

WASHINGTON - Mr Robert F. Kennedy Jr, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the top US health agency, came under attack at a Senate confirmation hearing on Jan 29, with Democratic lawmakers accusing him of covering up his anti-vaccine views and embracing conspiracy theories to dissuade use of life-saving medicine.

Mr Kennedy sought to defend his record to the Senate Finance Committee, promising lawmakers that he was not against vaccines, and saying he would address rapidly increasing rates of chronic disease as well as follow Mr Trump’s direction on abortion.

“I believe that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare. All of my kids are vaccinated,” said Mr Kennedy, 70, who attended the hearing with his wife Cheryl Hines and some of his children.

“We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world… This is an existential threat.”

If confirmed, Mr Kennedy would run the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees more than US$3 trillion (S$4 trillion) in healthcare spending, including agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programmes covering tens of millions of Americans.

The environmental lawyer is seen as a controversial pick on both sides of the aisle chiefly for having cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

During their questioning, Democratic senators brought up past statements from Mr Kennedy made over decades, including that no vaccine was safe and effective.

They quoted other remarks that were made by Mr Kennedy without evidence, including that Covid-19 was targeted to attack Caucasians and black people, and that it was “highly likely” that Lyme disease was a military bioweapon.

In an opening statement, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said: “The receipts show that Mr Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks (and) charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines.”

He added: “He has made it his life’s work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines.”

Democratic Senator Michael Bennet described Mr Kennedy as someone who speaks with conviction but has a record that includes half-truths and false statements.

“It doesn’t matter what you come here and say,” Mr Bennet said. “It’s not reflective of what you really believe.”

Most of the nearly dozen Republican senators who questioned Mr Kennedy on Jan 29 appeared to support the nominee, with some expressing appreciation for his goals of tackling obesity, diabetes and other illnesses.

“Can’t we come together as a nation and do this?” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson.

Finance Committee members will vote on whether to send Mr Trump’s pick to the full Senate for confirmation. Mr Kennedy is also scheduled to appear in front of a Senate panel that oversees health on Jan 30.

The Republican-controlled Senate has not rejected any of Mr Trump’s nominees so far.

His controversial defence secretary pick, Mr Pete Hegseth, squeaked by in a 51-50 vote after Vice-President J.D. Vance was needed to break a tie on Jan 24, despite concerns that the nominee was not qualified for the position, and allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.

Speaking to reporters in the halls of the Senate outside the hearing, Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he thought Mr Kennedy was doing a “great job” and that he would likely clear the Finance Committee. Mr Tillis was one of the senators whom opposition groups were targeting to vote against Mr Kennedy.

On two separate occasions, protesters disrupted Mr Kennedy’s hearing. One shouted, “He lies”, before being removed from the room. Some Kennedy supporters wore “Make America Healthy Again” hats.

‘No vax, no problem’

Mr Kennedy has decried the US food industry for adding ingredients he says make Americans less healthy.

During the hearing, he said fewer processed foods should be available in school lunches or for purchase with food stamps. Both those programmes fall under the purview of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rather than HHS.

Some Republicans’ questions were more pointed, including from Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who told Mr Kennedy to leave agricultural practices to the USDA.

Mr Kennedy seemed unsure about how to answer some questions on Medicare and Medicaid, which account for most of the nation’s health budget.

In response to Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, Mr Kennedy said he did not have a proposal for reforming the Medicaid programme.

Senator Bernie Sanders questioned Mr Kennedy over his involvement with the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defence, which he founded.

Mr Sanders pointed to “onesie” clothes for babies sold by the group that tout phrases such as “No Vax, No Problem”.

“I have no power over that organisation,” Mr Kennedy said. He had resigned as chairman in December, writing at the time: “It has been one of my greatest privileges and honours to lead this group over all these years.”

Healthcare coverage advocacy group Protect Our Care organised a rally against Mr Kennedy ahead of the hearing, displaying mock headstones to represent deaths in 2019 in Samoa following a measles outbreak there.

The group says that Mr Kennedy had visited the area at that time and spread misinformation about vaccines. Mr Kennedy denies any role in exacerbating the outbreak.

Ms Caroline Kennedy, another member of the storied American political family, on Jan 28 urged senators to vote against her cousin’s nomination, calling him a “predator” with “dangerous” views on healthcare.

Some Republicans also object to Mr Kennedy’s past comments in support of abortion rights, and his perceived stance against the pharmaceutical sector. During the hearing, Mr Kennedy said he agrees with Mr Trump that states should decide access to abortion. REUTERS