A Republican, who would be key to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s chances of being confirmed by the Senate to lead the nation’s health agencies, pushed Trump’s pick to rescind his previous claims that vaccines are unsafe and cause autism during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing Thursday.
“If you are approved to this position … will you reassure mothers unequivocally and without qualification that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism?” Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, asked RFK Jr.
“Senator, I am not going into the agency with any…” Kennedy began to respond.
“That’s kind of a yes or no question, because the data is there,” the Louisiana Republican interjected.
“If the data is there, I will absolutely do that,” Kennedy said.
“Now, there is the data,” Cassidy said. “I used to do hepatitis B, as I’ve said. I know the data’s there.”
“If you show me data, I will be the first person to assure the American people that they need to take those vaccines,” Kennedy replied.
“Now, what concerns me is that you’ve cast doubt on some of these vaccines recently, I mean, like last few years. But the data — and I can quote some of it — the data has been there for a long time,” the committee’s chair continued. “I’ve been in Congress for 16 years, and this data was in large measure generated before I came to Congress.”
Cassidy then expressed concerns about the way Kennedy has used his platform to peddle unfounded health claims regarding vaccines.
“That is a very troubling response, because the studies are there. Your job was to have looked at those studies as an applicant for this job,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said after Cassidy’s line of questioning, which the Vermont independent doubled down on.