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RFK Jr defends himself against ‘anti-Vaccine’ label at confirmation hearing, ‘I support…’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says, “I am not anti-vaccine” during first confirmation hearing on Wednesday
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended himself against the “Anti-Vaccine” label during his first confirmation hearing as Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. On Wednesday, the 71-year-old was grilled by Democratic senators on his stance on vaccines and abortion.
RFK Jr defends himself against ‘anti-Vaccine’ label
“News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither,” Kennedy said before being interrupted by a protester who yelled, “You are,” reported NBC News. However, he continued to say that he is “neither.”
“I am pro-safety. I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish, but that didn’t make me anti-fish. All of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care,” Kennedy added.
Kennedy then had a heated exchange with Sen. Ron Wyden, who asked him whether measles is “deadly.” When he refused to provide a direct answer, the senator grilled him over his remarks during a 2023 podcast that there is “no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
“Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine?” Wyden pushed back, according to the outlet.
However, Kennedy defended himself, saying, “I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking anything.”
Wyden also confronted him over his cousin Carolyn Kennedy's letter outlining Kennedy's “lack of personal fitness for the office without objection.”
“Mr. Kennedy, you have spent years pushing conflicting stories about vaccines. You say one thing, and then you say another,” the senator said, adding, “All of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine?”
The HHS secretary nominee argued that all those claims he made on podcasts have previously been “repeatedly debunked.”
