Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS nominee, faces first Senate hearing this week

For the first time, Robert F. Kennedy is going to face lawmakers as he looks to make the case to be the next U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump's choice to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, will appear at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday.

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wed., Jan. 29 to consider Kennedy’s nomination. President Trump nominated Kennedy to lead the federal health agency and said Kennedy is the right choice to Make America Healthy Again.

Kennedy has been meeting with senators as he attempts to lock up the nomination.

Many healthcare leaders have denounced the choice of Kennedy to lead the nation’s health department, which includes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and other agencies.

• Read more: Donald Trump’s first steps on healthcare

Critics cite his many public criticisms of vaccines and his lack of experience leading a large health organization.

Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told Chief Healthcare Executive® in November that he opposes the nomination of Kennedy to lead the health department.

“We do not believe that Mr. Kennedy is qualified to be HHS secretary, and do not believe that he should have that job under any circumstances,” Benjamin said.

The Committee to Protect Health Care, an advocacy group for physicians, has drafted a letter opposing Kennedy’s confirmation. More than 22,000 have signed it.

U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, a Democrat from Washington state and a pediatrician, appeared at a press conference with other elected officials opposing Kennedy’s nomination. Schrier said she has fielded more questions from parents asking about the safety of vaccines and has had to correct misinformation about vaccines.

“Sowing needless doubt in the minds of parents and the citizens of this country should disqualify Robert Kennedy Jr. from this job,” Schrier said at the press conference earlier this month. “Make no mistake: stoking vaccine hesitancy will lead to deaths.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, MD, an emergency physician, appeared at the press conference to speak out against the confirmation of Kennedy.

Green accused Kennedy of sowing doubt about measles vaccines in Samoa in 2019. Two deaths due to vaccines were attributed to human error, when clinicians put the wrong re-agent in the vaccines, Green said. Kennedy visited Samoa and criticized the use of vaccines, which Green said contributed to a “crash” in immunizations and a measles outbreak. Green went to Samoa with other doctors to help with vaccinations, which he said helped curb the outbreak.

But Green said he worries that Kennedy could do lasting damage leading the health department.

The health department’s secretary “has to believe in science, has to take these absurd biases away,” Green said. “Otherwise, you will be condemning America's children to disease and fatalities, and we healthcare providers will have to do all we can to clean up after that disaster.”

Republicans hold the Senate majority, and Kennedy has received support from GOP lawmakers. Kennedy's backers cite his focus on chronic diseases and raising awareness of the dangers of processed foods.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said he was impressed when he met with Kennedy last month.

“Bobby was thoughtful in his answers and sincere in his desire to work with President @realDonaldTrump and all members of Congress to make America a healthier place to live,” Graham wrote on X. “He has clearly done his homework when it comes to the state of American health.”

Kennedy has engendered opposition from some conservatives who say he isn’t fully committed to opposing abortion. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who served under Trump, has publicly come out against Kennedy’s nomination.

“I believe the nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS is an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration and should be deeply concerning to millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our nominees for decades,” Pence said in November.

It’s worth noting that only the Senate will vote on Kennedy’s confirmation. The full Congress doesn’t vote on Cabinet nominations.

Four physicians, all Republicans, serve in the U.S. Senate: U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.); Bill Cassidy (R-La.); Rand Paul (R-Ky.); and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming).

Paul has publicly backed Kennedy. After Trump announced the nomination of Kennedy, Paul wrote on X: “Get ready for health care freedom and MAHA!” (MAHA is an acronym touted by Kennedy: “Make America Healthy Again.”)

Cassidy, who is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he met with Kennedy earlier this month. His committee will also hold a hearing on Kennedy’s nomination.

In a post on X Jan. 8, Cassidy wrote, “Had a frank conversation with HHS nominee @RobertKennedyJr. We spoke about vaccines at length. Looking forward to the hearings in HELP and Finance.”

Two former health secretaries have lambasted the choice of Kennedy.

Donna Shalala, who led HHS under President Clinton’s administration, wrote on X that Trump’s nomination of Kennedy was “shocking.”

“Kennedy is an unqualified, know nothing,” Shalala wrote. “He is dangerous to the health and well being of every American.”

Kathleen Sebelius, who led the U.S. Health Department under President Obama, told MSNBC that the prospect of Kennedy leading the agency “is absolutely terrifying and people should understand how serious it is.”

In an interview with MSNBC, Kennedy said he wasn’t going to get rid of vaccines.

“I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines,” Kennedy said. “If vaccines are working for someone, I’m not going to take them away.”

Green said he worries that Kennedy, if confirmed, will discourage millions of Americans who are skeptical from being vaccinated.

“Millions of millions of people who are on the bubble … they will not get vaccinated, or they will delay,” Green said.