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Robert F. Kennedy, President Trump’s nominee for health secretary, vigorously defended his views on vaccines, and a key senator still has clear doubts.
Jan. 30, 2025, 8:52 p.m. ET
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s choice for health secretary, plowed through his second day of confirmation hearings on Thursday, delivering a vigorous defense of his views on vaccination during a contentious three-hour session that was high on drama and revealed that a critical Republican senator still had doubts.
The hearing before the Senate Health Committee was raucous and emotional. Mr. Kennedy got into a shouting match with Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, while Senator Maggie Hassan, Democrat of New Hampshire, broke down in tears when talking about her 36-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy. Mr. Kennedy himself did not shy away from confrontation.
Here are five takeaways:
A key Republican vote is still undecided.
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The Republican who may hold the key to Mr. Kennedy’s future, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, did not get to a yes on Thursday. Mr. Cassidy, chairman of the health committee and a doctor, also serves on the Senate Finance Committee, the panel that will determine whether Mr. Kennedy’s nomination moves forward to the Senate floor.
Mr. Cassidy opened the hearing by recounting the story of a patient who needed a liver transplant. He said that caring for the woman was the “worst day of my medical career,” because he knew a $50 vaccine could have prevented her fate. “Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Mr. Cassidy said. “Can I trust that that is now in the past? Can data and information change your opinion, or will you only look for data supporting a predetermined conclusion?”
By the end of the hearing, Mr. Cassidy made clear that his questions had not been answered. He wondered aloud whether Mr. Kennedy would use his “credibility” to support or undermine faith in vaccines, saying, “I’ve got to figure that out for my vote.”
