Despite massive popular support, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. faced mounting criticisms from both Republicans and Democrats during his confirmation hearings for Sec. of Health and Human Services this week.

If he can maintain focus on resolving the chronic disease epidemic in America ... he may be able to circumvent the harsh condemnation he’s likely to continue to confront.
Kennedy sat for two hearings — one on Wednesday with the Senate Committee on Finance and another on Thursday with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). While no other nominee has yet faced more than one committee hearing, Deborah Sheldon of American Values, a PAC that supported Kennedy’s presidential nomination before dropping out to support Trump, states this is standard. The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over health-related nominations and policies, including those that affect Medicare and Medicaid, she told The Federalist. HELP conducts hearings to evaluate the nominee's qualifications and policy positions.
Kennedy joins the group of what’s been categorized as “disrupters” within President Trump’s new administration. Along with Kennedy, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and Kash Patel are perceived to upend the political status quo within their respective agencies. According to many supporters, these “outsiders” as they are often deemed, are exactly the types of leaders Washington, D.C. requires to drain the swamp — something Trump promised in his first term but was unable to successfully execute, in large part due to disloyal underlings and an entrenched bureaucracy that actively undermined his authority.
The American people unequivocally gave the incoming president a mandate to do just this, yet many in Congress seem to fear an upheaval to the system in which they have gained power and sometimes even wealth.
According to one report, the Senate Finance Committee has received roughly $7 million from drug companies between 2019 and 2024 (donations compiled by O...