HHS Secretary Nominee Faces Tough Questioning in Senate Confirmation Hearings

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President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on . As expected, the nominee’s previous controversial stances on a range of public health issues—particularly his opposition to vaccines—sparked heated questions from members on both sides of the aisle during the hearings. Members’ inquiries covered a broad swath of topics, but highlighting several key themes below:

• Prescription drugs. During both hearings, Kennedy noted his intent to support the President’s efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, including continuing to implement the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Medicare drug price negotiation program. Until last week, it had been unclear whether the Trump Administration would attempt to pivot away from the IRA, which had been signed into law by President Biden (see below).
• Vaccines. A good deal of discussion during both hearings focused on the nominee’s stance that vaccines are linked to autism and other negative outcomes in children. In a notable exchange between Kennedy and HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Kennedy refused to deny his previous statements on vaccines, saying instead that he seeks to be an “advocate of strong science” as HHS secretary. 
• Familiarity with federal health programs. Members quizzed the nominee on his knowledge—or lack thereof—of federal health programs and other issues under the purview of HHS, including childcare, biomedical research, and women’s health issues. At points, Kennedy seemed confused about the differences between Medicare and Medicaid.

Despite broad Republican support in both committees, including a statement from Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) that Kennedy “deserved to be confirmed,” it remains unclear whether Kennedy will be able to secure the votes necessary to be confirmed. The Finance Committee vote on Kennedy’s nomination is for February 5.

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