Robert F Kennedy Jr’s nomination to lead America’s top health agency faced strong headwinds as he struggled to provide clear answers on his past vaccine statements for a second straight day of bruising hearings on Capitol Hill.
In a tense back-and-forth before the Senate health committee on Thursday morning, Kennedy dodged direct questions about whether he still believes vaccines cause autism, despite extensive scientific evidence to the contrary. When pressed by Senator Bernie Sanders about studies showing Covid-19 vaccines saved millions of lives, Kennedy claimed “we don’t have a good surveillance system” and said “I don’t think anybody can say that.”
The Democratic senator Patty Murray also warned colleagues that confirming Kennedy would be tantamount to giving him a dangerous megaphone.
“When measles sweeps through schools and hospital nursing wards … will this be worth it?” Murray asked.
Even the Republican committee chair, Bill Cassidy, a physician, appeared frustrated as he pressed Kennedy to unequivocally state that measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism. While Kennedy pledged to “apologize for any statements that misled people” if shown the evidence, he declined to directly acknowledge the existing scientific consensus.
But another Republican senator, Rand Paul – a former ophthalmologist – skipped questioning entirely, instead delivering a speech arguing vaccine debates had become “so oversimplified and dumbed down that we don’t really get to real truths”. He accused his colleagues of believing too much in “submission” to government, adding: “Submit to the government. Do what you’re told. There is no discussion.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, Democrats landed repeated blows, with Senator Michael Bennet accusing Kennedy of “peddling half-truths” throughout his career and Senator Ron Wyden confronting him with seemingly contradictory statements about vaccines from podcasts in the past.
Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has sparked unprecedented pushback, with more than 15,000 medical professionals and 75 Nobel laureates mobilizing against his confirmation.
Despite insisting he supports vaccines and would not restrict access if confirmed, Kennedy’s history of controversial statements – including claims that “no vaccine is safe and effective” – are likely to face more scrutiny as senators weigh whether to hand one of America’s most prominent vaccine skeptics control of its public health system.
Article by:Source: Joseph Gedeon in Washington
