Hearings to examine the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.
2025-01-29
Source: Congress.gov
Summary
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to evaluate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Committee members questioned his record on vaccines, his past anti-vaccine statements, and his support for Medicaid and public health initiatives. The hearing highlighted concerns over his credibility, particularly regarding claims about measles in Samoa and his advocacy for anti-vaccine theories. Witnesses, including Senator Wyden and others, challenged his views on public health, vaccines, and medical research, underscoring the need for bipartisan trust in health institutions. Kennedy emphasized the importance of addressing chronic diseases and improving access to health care through reforms in nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and telehealth. The committee ultimately urged caution in confirming him, citing inconsistencies in his positions and a lack of experience in managing large federal agencies.
Participants
Transcript
Good morning. This hearing will come to order. I thank my colleagues and Mr. Kennedy for being here today. Mr. Kennedy, congratulations on your nomination. Throughout this process, Mr. Kennedy, you have been accessible to members and staff on both sides of the aisle and have demonstrated strong commitment to fulfilling the responsibilities of this role. The Department of Health and Human Services oversees our nation's largest healthcare programs, providing coverage for nearly two in every five Americans. Improving Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, among other initiatives, presents challenges, especially in the face of a rapidly aging population, stubbornly high costs, and persistent barriers to access. However, this also provides us an opportunity to deliver bold, transformative solutions. As a committee, we share a commitment to advancing common sense, bipartisan policies that improve the delivery of health care in this country. This committee has worked to realign incentives in the prescription drug supply chain. to enhance access in rural communities, to expand the availability of telehealth and improve the broken clinician payment structure. Across these and other issues, I look forward to working with the administration to continue pursuing meaningful reforms that serve the American people more effectively and more efficiently. Too often, patients encounter a healthcare system that is disjointed and is a dysfunctional maze. complex and bureaucratic chutes and ladders have become the norm. Meanwhile, even as healthcare spending climbs, outcomes across a range of conditions continue to decline. Mr. Kennedy, if confirmed, you will have the opportunity to chart a new and better course for the federal approach to tackling both the drivers and the consequences of our ailing healthcare system.
Your commitment to combating chronic conditions that drive health care costs will be critical to our success. Prioritizing disease prevention and addressing the factors that fuel conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, Alzheimer's disease, COPD, and cancer will save lives, reduce costs, and build a healthier, stronger country. Private sector breakthroughs from groundbreaking cancer medications to curative gene therapies also offer hope. But misguided government initiatives and market volatility risk eroding American leadership in life-saving R&D. Your advocacy for healthcare transparency has the potential to empower consumers across the country, promoting competition to enhance quality while cutting excessive spending for patients and for taxpayers. Today's hearing will provide a forum to hear more about your vision, particularly for the federal programs under this committee's jurisdiction. Mr. Kennedy, you represent a voice for an inspiring coalition of Americans who are deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of our nation. Regardless of political party, everyone in this room shares a common recognition that our current system has fallen short, as well as a common desire to make our country healthier. I look forward to today's conversation as well as your testimony, Mr. Kennedy.
And now I recognize Senator Wyden for his opening remarks. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. The question before the Finance Committee this morning is whether Robert F. Kennedy should be trusted with the health and well-being of the American people. Committee staff have examined thousands of pages of statements, books, and podcast transcripts in a review of his record. The receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He has made it his life's work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines. It has been lucrative for him and put him on the verge of immense power. This is the profile of someone who chases money and influence wherever they lead even if that may mean the tragic deaths of children and other vulnerable people. Now, Mr. Kennedy is fond of saying he's not making recommendations about whether parents should vaccinate their children. He's just asking questions and giving people choices. It's a slippery tactic to dodge any real responsibility for his words and actions. And it is, in my view, absurd coming from somebody who's trying to win confirmation for a job that is entirely about making recommendations. These recommendations are going to have life or death consequences for the American people.
Mr. Kennedy, if you are confirmed, your recommendations determine which vaccines senior citizens get for free through Medicare. Your recommendation will determine which vaccines are given to millions of kids. Peddling these anti-vaccine conspiracy theories as our chief health officer is going to endanger the lives of kids and seniors across the nation. Just look at what happened when Mr. Kennedy inserted himself into an anti-vaccination crisis in the island nation of Samoa. He traveled there himself to push his views and pour fuel on the fire of a measles outbreak that began due to low vaccination rates. In the end, 83 Samoans died, mostly kids, from a disease that is easily preventable. Americans cannot afford to import this experiment to our great nation. On other healthcare matters, from abortion to universal healthcare, Mr. Kennedy has changed his views so often it is nearly impossible to know where he stands on so many of the basic issues that impact Americans' daily lives. in a gobsmacking statement of irresponsibility. In November 2023, Mr. Kennedy said that he wanted to pause infectious disease research for eight years.
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