Kennedy at the Trump inauguration. Photo: Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images
HHS Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been trying to downplay some of his opposition to vaccines as he prepares for twin confirmation hearings next week.
Why it matters: Kennedy's recent statements appear to be winning over some GOP senators ahead of what could be a tight vote on his nomination, even though his record of vaccine criticism is extensively documented.
What they're saying: "He told me he is not anti-vaccine, he is pro vaccine safety, which strikes me as a rational position to take," Sen. John Cornyn told reporters this month after meeting with Kennedy. Cornyn announced his support.
- Sen. Chuck Grassley told Axios he did not ask Kennedy about vaccines at all in his meeting with him.
- "That wasn't one [of the topics], because I'd read what he said about it since people accused him of wanting to do away with vaccines, that he's not going to do that," Grassley said.
Reality check: Kennedy has a long record of sowing skepticism about vaccines and even backing court challenges to some FDA approvals.
- "I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, 'Better not get him vaccinated,' Kennedy said on a podcast in 2021.
- He has also falsely linked vaccines to autism and asserted that the polio vaccine could have caused more deaths than it averted.
Driving the news: Since his nomination, though, in some of the few public comments he has made, he told reporters on Capitol Hill he is "all for" the polio vaccine.
- Look for Kennedy to make similar comments along the lines that he just wants more studies on vaccine safety at his hearings before the Finance Committee on Wednesday and the HELP Committee the next day.
Between the lines: The hearings will provide a forum for key undecided senators to question Kennedy, including HELP Chair Bill Cassidy and panel moderates Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.
- Sen. Mitch McConnell, although not on the committees, is also being closely watched as well as a polio survivor who has stressed the importance of vaccines.
The intrigue: There is also some speculation that Kennedy's focus on healthy foods could even help him pick up a couple Democratic votes.
- Senate HELP Ranking Member Bernie Sanders last week declined to comment to Axios about his meeting with Kennedy and whether he is open to voting for him, saying only that it was a "private meeting."
- Sanders held a roundtable Wednesday with health experts stressing the importance of vaccines, though much of the discussion did not focus on Kennedy himself.
- Some Democrats are raising the alarm. "If you cannot tell American families the same thing centuries of science and experience tells us — that vaccines save lives — you have no business leading HHS," said Sen. Patty Murray.
