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Top Republican 'struggling' with RFK Jr.'s nomination over Kennedy's vaccine views

Kennedy refused to say vaccines don't cause autism during his hearings.

Last Updated: January 30, 2025, 1:14 PM EST

President Donald Trump has promised he'd let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild" on health, food and medicine as head of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy, a Democrat who ran as an independent but ended up supporting Trump in the 2024 presidential campaign, was grilled by senators over his views on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and more during two days of confirmation hearings.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, concluded Thursday's hearing by saying he was "struggling" with the nomination due to Kennedy's vaccine positions. Kennedy notably refused to say vaccines don't cause autism as he faced pointed question from lawmakers.

Jan 29, 2025, 1:38 PM EST

Hearing ends

The committee's hearing ended after more than three and a half hours of questioning.

Many of Kennedy's supporters cheered him on after the hearing gaveled out.

Jan 29, 2025, 1:36 PM EST

RFK says he supports childhood vaccine schedule but has spent years criticizing it

RFK Jr.'s claim that he "support[s] the childhood schedule" of vaccinations contradicts the stream of criticism he has leveled in recent years at the vaccine schedule typically given to American children.

Kennedy has falsely linked the vaccine schedule to a rise in chronic disease, saying at a town hall last year, "What I'm focused on is the bigger issue of chronic disease, and that is linked to the vaccine schedule in some cases, the explosion of chronic disease."

Childhood vaccines have steadily increased in recent decades as new shots have become approved following clinical trials on their safety and efficacy, increasing the number of diseases that are now vaccine preventable. Clinicians say the number of vaccines given to a baby does not risk overwhelming their immune system.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 29, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters

According to the CDC, even if babies receive several vaccinations in one day, their immune systems are under significantly more pressure from the bacteria and viruses they encounter daily in their environment.

Kennedy has been heavily critical of the number of vaccines children receive and has said there are "ridiculous diseases" that are in the childhood vaccine schedule, singling out the Hepatitis B vaccine.

"The baby doesn't need this," he told podcaster Joe Rogan last year.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie, Sony Salzman and Youri Benadjaoud

Jan 29, 2025, 1:30 PM EST

Kennedy vows to prioritize long COVID research

Kennedy vowed that he would commit to prioritizing long COVID research if confirmed to lead the HHS.

"If confirmed, will you collaborate with health care providers, researchers and effective communities to better understand and mitigate long COVID's impact? Yes or no?" GOP Sen. Todd Young of Indiana asked.

"Absolutely," Kennedy replied.

Kennedy also committed to integrating long COVID research in broader health care policies.

Long COVID occurs when patients still have symptoms at least three months after they have cleared the infection according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jan 29, 2025, 1:21 PM EST

Smith calls out RFK Jr. on past comments on antidepressants

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota brought up Kennedy's comments against the use of antidepressants, particularly among younger Americans.

Smith brought up what she said were Kennedy's past comments that linked anti-depressants to school shooters that she said were unproven.

"In fact, most school shooters were not treated for antidepressants," she said.

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee.
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Sen. Smith challenges RFK Jr. over past antidepressant commentsDemocratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee.
Reuters

Kennedy claimed he was talking about many factors that contributed to the shootings and reiterated that antidepressant medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have serious side effects and needed more research.

"I just want to have good science," he said.

Smith then got personal, talking about her personal battles with depression and how she was able to treat it with an SSRI medication, therapy and other options to live a happier life.

The senator warned that Kennedy's past comments were not only untruthful but also had a lasting impact -- stigmatizing those suffering from depression.

"These statements that you've made linking antidepressants to school shootings, they reinforce the stigma that people who experience mental health every day face every single day," Smith said. "And I'm very concerned that this is another example of your record of sharing false and misleading information that actually really hurts people."