Medicaid, measles and mifepristone: 5 big moments from RFK Jr.'s Senate hearing

• It was an attempt to quell the bipartisan scrutiny he is under while navigating an uncertain path to Senate confirmation. He can lose only three GOP votes if all Senate Democrats vote against him.

Here are five key moments from Kennedy's closely watched Senate hearing.

1. Kennedy doesn't say how he'd reform Medicaid

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor whose stance on Kennedy has been closely watched, repeatedly pressed the HHS nominee on how he'd reform Medicaid and how he would approach dual eligibles — people who are entitled to both Medicare and Medicaid.

• Kennedy's answers were vague — he said he'd increase "transparency" and "accountability" and transition to a "value-based system" rather than a "fee-based system."
• He said his approach to dual eligibles was to make sure the programs were "integrated."

Yes, but: In the exchange, he fumbled by saying Medicaid was "fully paid for" by the federal government.

• Medicaid, a program that provides coverage to some 72 million Americans, is funded by both states and the federal government.

2. Kennedy says he's not "anti-vaccine"

Kennedy argued in his opening statement that he is not "anti-vaccine" or "anti-industry" but rather "pro-safety."

• But while he repeatedly assured he was not against vaccines, he did not disavow his past statements.
• He defended petitioning the FDA to revoke its authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, saying the group he founded, Children's Health Defense, brought the petition after the CDC recommended COVID shots "without any scientific basis" for 6-year-old children.
• Kennedy falsely argued 6-year-olds have "basically zero risk" from COVID.

Kennedy faced a barrage of questions over his past anti-vaccine statements, with several lawmakers zooming in on accusations — including from his own cousin — that he was connected to a Samoa measles outbreak.

• The outbreak began on the heels of an accident when two babies died after nurses mixed MMR vaccine doses with a muscle relaxant. Concerns about the MMR vaccine's safety prompted the prime minister to halt the vaccination program.
• Kennedy traveled to Samoa, where he met with officials and a farmer who was later arrested for spreading vaccine misinformation, per the New York Times.
• Asked by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) if he accepted any responsibility for what happened in Samoa, Kennedy said "absolutely not."

3. RFK Jr.: "Every abortion is a tragedy"

Kennedy fielded questions about his past support for abortion rights during the hearing.

• He frequently returned to the same refrain: He agrees with Trump that "every abortion is a tragedy."
• "I agree with him that the states should control abortion," he added during questioning from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).

He also revealed President Trump had directed him to study the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone, though the president has not yet taken a public stance on how to regulate it since taking office.

• Kennedy's response hints at how the HHS under Trump may approach medication abortion, which accounted for about two out of three abortions performed in the U.S. in 2023.

Flashback: Kennedy's exact stance on abortion access has fluctuated over the years — in 2023, he suggested he'd support a 15-week ban, but he later walked back that statement, per the Washington Post.

4. Dems question ties to anti-vax groups

One of the breakout questions from Wednesday's hearing came from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): "Are you supportive of these onesies?"

• Sanders displayed photos of two infant onesies sporting anti-vax messages sold by CHD.
• "I have no power over that organization," Kennedy said of CHD. He formally resigned as chairman in December.

Zoom out: Warren blasted Kennedy over his ties with Wisner Baum, a law firm currently leading litigation against pharmaceutical company Merck over the HPV vaccine Gardasil.

• Warren questioned whether Kennedy would continue to collect compensation from lawsuits he referred against drug companies while serving as HHS secretary and for four years after, to which Kennedy replied, "I'll certainly commit that while I'm secretary."
• According to his filings with the Office of Government Ethics, Kennedy would still receive 10% of fees awarded "in contingency fee cases referred to the firm," NPR reported.

5. RFK Jr. says he will "absolutely" support PEPFAR

Asked by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) if he'd commit to supporting the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, Kennedy said he'd "absolutely" support the program and work to strengthen it.

• In asking the question, Cornyn described PEPFAR as "one of the most successful public health programs in the world" that, if halted, would risk ceding leadership to adversaries.

Yes, but: When the Trump administration broadly paused foreign aid last week, it also meant freezing the global health program credited with saving millions of lives.

Go deeper: RFK's dueling personas take center stage

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Sen. Bill Cassidy represents Louisiana (not Idaho) and to include the correct abbreviation for Children's Health Defense.