Republican senators have raised questions about President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, citing Kennedy’s controversial views on vaccines and, most recently, his perplexing stance on abortion—raising the prospects that Kennedy could face a difficult path to being confirmed for the role.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looks on during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, ... [+]
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who opposes abortion and sits on the Senate Finance Committee that will decide whether to refer Kennedy to the Senate for a confirmation vote, told Politico in an article published Wednesday that he has “a lot of life questions” for Kennedy and wants “to know if the second Trump administration will have the same life perspective at HHS that the first one did.”
Others have raised concerns about Kennedy’s views on vaccines, as he has cast doubts on the efficacy of both childhood vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines: Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told The Washington Post in an article published Wednesday that he personally believes in vaccines, and if Kennedy “has a different point of view, then he’ll have to explain that to us.”
Rounds is among at least six Republican lawmakers who raised questions or concerns with Kennedy’s nomination, according to the Post, including Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who said he wants “to make sure” Kennedy “understands the realities of the challenges” his constituents who are farmers and ranchers face, as Kennedy has questioned longstanding agricultural practices, including the use of pesticides in farming and genetically modified foods.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, also told the paper she was concerned by Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism, noting “we’re focused on how we encourage higher vaccination rates, particularly among our kids.”
Other Republican senators have defended Kennedy, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who told the Post he thinks Kennedy is “great” and is “very sharp, very knowledgeable.” Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., also dismissed concerns about Kennedy’s abortion stance since “under President Trump’s goal of leaving it up to states, I don’t think it matters what [Kennedy] thinks,” she told the paper, adding she believes criticism of his stance on vaccines has been “exaggerated.”
Anti-abortion groups are lobbying Kennedy to appoint an abortion opponent to a senior HHS role and restore anti-abortion policies from Trump’s first term, Politico reported Wednesday, citing four anonymous anti-abortion advocates. Among the Biden-era policies they want the next Trump administration to roll back are abortion’s inclusion in HIPAA privacy laws and the availability of abortion pills via mail and pharmacies, Politico reported. Kennedy’s stance on abortion is murky. He said in 2023 he supports a 15-week abortion ban then later said he misspoke. His campaign website called abortion a “tragedy,” but said he doesn’t “trust the government to make these decisions for Americans” and is “for choice and medical freedom.” His campaign told The Washington Post in an email he supports the FDA approval of the abortion medication mifepristone.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy as HHS secretary over his abortion stance, in a statement that called the nomination “an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration” that “should be deeply concerning to millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our nominees for decades.”
Kennedy is among several controversial Trump picks to lead a key government agency. Trump’s own transition chair, Howard Lutnick, said last month in an appearance on CNN Kennedy would not be tapped for HHS secretary. Kennedy’s vaccine views are seen as a primary deterrent to his chances of being confirmed by the Senate, where any nominee can afford to lose only four Republican votes, assuming all Democrats vote against them. Kennedy, a well-known environmental lawyer, has promoted the debunked theory that childhood vaccines can cause autism, made the baseless claim that COVID-19 was “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people” and has implied HIV might not be the cause of AIDS. He has expressed plans for a drastic overhaul of HHS and longstanding health policies, including removing fluoride from water and halting research of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, among other proposals. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth also likely face uphill battles in the confirmation process amid allegations of sexual misconduct, claims they both deny.
RFK Jr.’s Conspiracy Theories: Here’s What Trump’s Pick For Health Secretary Has Promoted (Forbes)