Here’s The Latest On Trump’s HHS Pick—And Why He’s Controversial

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A conservative group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence is urging Republicans to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, citing his support for abortion access. Citing — as some GOP senators who have expressed concerns about his controversial vaccine views — haven’t. He said he would vote to confirm Kennedy.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends inauguration ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, … [+] 2025 in Washington DC. (Photo by Kevin Lamarck – Poole/Getty Images)

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January 22, 2025Pence’s group announced It is launching a six-figure ad campaign to oppose his confirmation.

The group believes there is “little reason to be confident” that Kennedy “will have a firm commitment to protecting the unborn,” Tim Chapman, president and board chairman of Advancing American Freedom, wrote in a recent letter to senators. I wrote, echoing Pence’s previous statement, strongly against abortion.

In one The shape of ethics In a filing by Kennedy and made public Wednesday, he said he will continue to receive fees related to cases he has referred to the law firm Wisnerbaum — which is suing Merck over the vaccine that Protects against human papillomavirus, or HPV. The United States and “in which the United States does not have a direct and substantial interest,” The The New York Times Reported

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When will senators vote on whether Rfk Jr. To be confirmed?

Kennedy’s confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled before the Senate. Kennedy, or any of President Donald Trump’s nominees, can only afford to lose three Republican votes, assuming all Democrats vote against him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio became the first Trump nominee approved by the Senate on Monday.

What is Rfk Jr.’s background?

The son of the late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Kennedy is a longtime environmental advocate and activist. He formally entered the presidential race in April 2023 as a Democratic candidate challenging former President Joe Biden for the party’s nomination, before running as an independent in October of that year. He dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump. Both suggested in subsequent months that Kennedy would be offered a job in the Trump administration, and Trump nominated him to lead HHS in November. Before Kennedy entered the presidential race, he was a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. He is also married to actress Cheryl Hines.

What is Rfk Jr.’s stance on abortion?

Kennedy supports “the principles set forth in Roe v. Wade,” according to his campaign. Websitein which he was quoted as saying “Abortion is a tragedy, but I don’t trust the government to make those decisions for Americans.” He said in 2023 that he supported a 15-week abortion ban, but later retracted that statement.

What are RFK Jr.’s thoughts on vaccines?

Kennedy has a long history of promoting conspiracies about childhood vaccines, including the theory that the preservative thimerosal—which has been removed from most modern vaccine formulas—is linked to autism. The claim has been made in full. infamous by clinical studies. In one The podcast With Lex Friedman last year, Kennedy said “there is no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective.” In a subsequent interview, he retracted this statement. CNNcalled it a “bad use of words” and is Often denied That he is anti-vaccine. He gained notoriety for fueling conspiracies about vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. He suggested they were related to a “wave of suspicious deaths”. The New York Timesand told According to Louisiana lawmakers, it was the “deadliest vaccine ever.” Medical authorities have said the vaccine does not increase the risk of death from non-Covid causes, and is a safe and effective way to prevent the virus, which has serious side effects. Extremely rare. Kennedy was the top “superspreader” of misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine on Twitter, accounting for 13 percent of the daily retweets of discredited information, according to a study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. Her nonprofit Children’s Health Defense has filed several lawsuits challenging the pandemic’s public health guidelines and vaccine mandates, including a petition in 2021 to revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the vaccine. was told to do, The New York Times Reported. In the petition, the group advocated other treatments instead of the vaccine, including ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, even though they have already been shown to be ineffective.

What else has Kennedy said about the Covid-19 pandemic?

In his 2021 book “The Real Anthony Fauci,” he accused the former National Institutes of Health chief of colluding with Bill Gates to stage “a historic coup against Western democracy” in the wake of the pandemic. Exaggerating. In the field of media and public health, he also falsely claimed at a July 2023 dinner party that “Covid-19 has been targeted to attack Caucasians and blacks. People” and “those who have the most immunity are Ashkenazi are Jews and Chinese,” according to video footage of the remarks published by The New York Post.

Rfk Jr. What other health conspiracies has been promoted?

In a June 2024 interview with Joe Rogan, he referred to Wi-Fi “radiation” as a “cell phone tumor” and accused it of “opening up” your blood-brain barrier to toxins. Implantable wireless technology helps in cancer. This means that HIV cannot cause AIDS, and it has identified a link between school and increased use of anti-depressant drugs. There is no reliable medical evidence to support the theory.

What are Rfk Jr.’s plans for health and human services?

Kennedy has promised to allow people to choose whether or not they want to get the vaccine. NBC News “If vaccines are working for someone, I’m not going to take them” in November, stating that their choices “must be informed by the best information.” In the interview, he promised to “end the chronic disease epidemic,” including reviewing food ingredients. He vowed to eliminate “entire departments” that he believed included the Department of Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration. Addressing his views on fluoride in water, he said he would warn water districts about their “legal responsibility” to provide clean drinking water.

Rfk Jr. What are the allegations of sexual misconduct against?

Eliza Cooney, a former live-in nanny for the Kennedy family, said Multiple Outlets Last year he groped and repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she was working for him in the 1990s. After the story broke, Kennedy sent her an apology, writing, “I have no recollection of the incident but I am sincerely sorry that I ever did anything to hurt you or said or did anything that hurt you. hurt you or hurt your feelings.” To NBC And The Washington PostWho reviewed the text messages. When asked about the Vanity Fair story that revealed the allegation, he called the article “a lot of garbage,” but did not address Cooney’s allegation.

Did any Democratic Senator Rfk Jr. supports?

No one has said definitively they will vote for him, though Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. has not ruled out this possibility. Sanders said CBS In December he was undecided on how he would vote, calling Kennedy’s position that fluoride should be removed from water “very dangerous” and his views on vaccines “very wrong”, but Telling the network that their criticism of food ingredients is “absolutely valid.” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. is also considered a swing vote on all of Trump’s nominations, as he has emphasized to his party that Stop “panicing”. On every controversial move by Trump.

Has any Republican Senator come out against RFK Jr.?

No. While some, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has expressed some anger about her initial nomination, reportedly repurposing her anti-vaccine image in meetings with senators. “He told me he’s not anti-vaccine. He’s pro-vaccine safety, which strikes me as a rational position to take,” said Sen. John Corn, R-Texas. Politics. Last month on Capitol Hill, Kennedy told reporters that he was “all for the polio vaccine,” despite the fact that the first polio vaccine in recent years could cause cancer “that, far more than polio, has killed many people.” , killed many, many, many people,” and disputing the fact that the vaccine reduced polio cases, The New York Times Reported. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a polio survivor, issued a statement defending the polio vaccine when The Times Reported In December, when a Kennedy confidant helped him make HHS hiring decisions, lawyer Aaron Surrey urged the government to cancel the polio vaccine. “Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven treatments are not just uninformed — they are dangerous,” McConnell said. “Anyone seeking Senate consent to serve in an incoming administration would do well to refrain from even the appearance of association with such efforts.” Neither McConnell nor Cassidy, a doctor who told Fox News Kennedy is “wrong” about vaccines, he said publicly earlier this month, which is how he plans to vote. Murkowski also told Politico that she was undecided after meeting with Kennedy on Capitol Hill.

What does Trump say about RFK Jr.?

In announcing Kennedy’s nomination, Trump said that “HHS will play a major role in ensuring that everyone is protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives. who have contributed to the enormous health crisis in this country.” In October, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild on health care. . . food” and “medicine.”