GOP holdouts press RFK Jr. for assurances on vaccines, saying science is clear

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled, at times, Thursday to reassure a Republican swing vote and other senators about his support for vaccines, the major sticking point in his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Testifying on Capitol Hill for a second day, Mr. Kennedy failed to win over Democratic senators in combative exchanges about his past and present views, leaving his nomination in a tenuous position as he tried to turn outside-the-Beltway support into sufficient GOP votes for his nomination.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, didn’t commit to voting for Mr. Kennedy, saying the nominee tends to churn over settled science.

“That is why I’ve been struggling with your nomination,” he told Mr. Kennedy at a hearing before his committee.

Mr. Cassidy asked Mr. Kennedy to assure parents that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines don’t cause autism.

“If the data is there, I will absolutely do that,” Mr. Kennedy said.

“I know the data’s there,” said Mr. Cassidy, a doctor.

Mr. Kennedy made assertions about a link between autism and vaccines as recently as July 2023 during a Fox News appearance. On Thursday, he said he would be the “first person” to reassure parents about childhood vaccines once he’s shown the proof.

“Not only will I do that, but I will apologize for misstatements that led people otherwise,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I will never stick on a point if somebody shows me data that says I’m wrong.”

Mr. Kennedy, son of the late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, ran for president as a Democrat and switched to independent in the 2024 race. He dropped out and backed then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who repaid his support with the high-profile nomination.

The Senate Finance Committee, which will vote on his nomination, grilled Mr. Kennedy for hours on Wednesday.

If no Democratic senators support Mr. Kennedy in the full chamber, he can’t afford to lose more than three votes from the Republican majority. Three GOP senators — Susan M. Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell — bucked Mr. Trump and voted against his defense nominee, Pete Hegseth, who squeaked by with a tiebreaking vote from Vice President J.D. Vance.

Potential holdouts underscored the importance of vaccines. Alaska’s Ms. Murkowski said she shared Mr. Kennedy’s concerns about disease and diet but stressed the importance of getting critical vaccines to remote parts of her state. She said Mr. Kennedy is an “influencer,” prodding him to use his platform wisely.

Ms. Collins, of Maine, said she’s worried that if children aren’t vaccinated it will ruin the herd immunity that shields classrooms from the spread of diseases. Mr. Kennedy said uptake is down because people don’t trust the government.

“I’m going to restore trust and I will restore vaccine uptake,” Mr. Kennedy said.

Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins have been willing to buck their party, so their votes — alongside Mr. Cassidy’s — could make or break Mr. Kennedy’s nomination.

“It’s no secret I have some reservations about your past positions on vaccines and a couple other issues,” Mr. Cassidy said.

He added, “I’ve seen the benefits of vaccinations; I know they save lives. I know they are a crucial part of keeping our nation healthy.”

Mr. Kennedy enjoys broad appeal in certain areas, including his commitment to breaking up the revolving door between the pharmaceutical companies and government agencies that regulate them. 

Members of both parties appreciate his push to banish harmful food additives and his call to address underlying sources of diseases instead of spending billions to treat symptoms.

Sen. Jim Banks, Indiana Republican, praised the coalition of MAHA moms who supported Mr. Trump and his health agenda, saying he would be “thumbing his nose” at them if he rejected the nomination.

Mr. Cassidy said he wanted Mr. Trump to be successful but that Mr. Kennedy had to demonstrate what he would do with his power. For instance, the senator wants to know if Mr. Kennedy would recommend vaccinations to parents or dissuade them from getting their kids immunized.

“All my kids are vaccinated. I believe vaccines have saved millions of lives and play a critical role in health care,” Mr. Kennedy said.

Mr. Cassidy got assurances from Mr. Kennedy that he wouldn’t impound or hold back funds for vaccination programs.

Mr. Kennedy said he would distribute a bird flu vaccine from the federal stockpile and support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s schedule for the HPV vaccine, despite past statements that seemed to cast doubt on both.

Mr. Kennedy assured GOP senators that he would follow Mr. Trump’s lead in taking a hard line on gender-related surgeries for minors.

“Sometimes love means saying no to people,” Mr. Kennedy said.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma Republican, applauded Mr. Kennedy for being willing to take a serious look at the cause of autism, though Sen. Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Democrat, accused the nominee of being counterproductive.

“The problem with this witness’ response on the autism’s cause and the relationship to vaccines is [he is] relitigating and churning settled science so we can’t go forward,” she said.