Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opened his confirmation hearings to lead the Department of Health and Human Services by going on the offense, saying he is not anti-vaccine, despite years of sowing doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
“News reports have claimed that I’m anti-vaccine or anti-industry,” he said. “I am neither.”
When Kennedy said he was not opposed to vaccines, a woman in the hearing room stood up and screamed “You lie … do no harm,” before she was removed.
The issue is likely to be central to the hearing, with ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) suggesting in his opening statement that his history makes the nominee unfit to lead HHS.
If confirmed, Kennedy would have significant power over federal vaccine policy. He could replace the people who advise the government on vaccine policy and direct changes to the childhood immunization schedule.
Kennedy has a long history of arguing that vaccines are dangerous, despite overwhelming scientific consensus to the contrary. He has said the measles vaccine causes autism, the polio vaccine might have “killed many, many, many, many, many more people than polio ever did” and the Covid shot was “the deadliest vaccine ever made.”
The nominee made millions from books critical of vaccination and at his nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, which has suggested childhood vaccinations are connected to several developmental problems, despite clinical trials that didn’t find any correlation.
But Kennedy, despite years of arguing against vaccinations, has changed his tune leading up to Wednesday’s hearing.
Senate Republicans have said Kennedy assured them that he doesn’t want to take vaccines away and only wants to ensure they’re safe — and that the public has enough information about them. Kennedy reiterated that case in his opening statement. But even people in Kennedy’s circle are worried about him limiting access to or trust in vaccination.
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