RFK JR’s first confirmation from hearing five takeaways

President Donald Trump’s pick for US Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, was questioned by the senators in his first confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

The post of Health Secretary is the status of a major federal government that oversees public health issues including medical research, food security and public welfare programs.

Kennedy, who was an outspoken vaccine doubt, was asked to explain his previous comments on the Kovid -19 vaccine and other vaccinations. He was also asked about his ideas on abortion and his opinion on the American food industry.

Their hearing was interrupted by shouting the protesters, but when he promised that he would make the US healthy again, he was loud applause, a slogan used by the new administration.

There are five takeaments from Kennedy’s first hearing.

During the hearing, the senators brought Kennedy’s previous comments about vaccination.

A group that lasted for eight years, skepts the safety and efficacy of children’s health protection, frequent childhood vaccines, and leads the debacked claim that vaccines cause autism.

Kennedy insisted during the hearing that it was not an anti-vaccine, and he only supports more stringent studies and safety tests for injections.

He said that he supports the current childhood vaccination schedule and insisted that he was not the principle of a conspiracy.

“This is a Pejorative who applied to me to save me from asking hard questions about powerful interests,” he told the senators.

However, he made zero to his previous comments, such as a quotation taken from 2023 podcasts when he said: “I think some live virus vaccines are probably completing more problems. Effective.”

He defended himself in the hearing, saying that his words were excluded from the context and he was going to say “for all people”. But, Kennedy said, he was interrupted by the host, Lex Fridman, who said: “They are big words”.

In the podcast interview, Kennedy underlined what he called safety problems with several common vaccines, including polio vaccine, and later “naturally insecure” called the vaccine “naturally”, apparently quoting former President Ronald Reagan.

During Kennedy’s initial comments and during the hearing, an important point was his criticism of processed foods in the US, in which he said to help run the country’s obesity epidemic.

He promised to examine the chemical additive in food, and said that he would work to overcome the financial struggles of interest in American agencies and the food industry.

“We will reverse the epidemic of chronic disease and put the nation back on the road to health,” he told the committee.

Asked why he was a great lawyer to prevent nutrition-based disease, Kennedy said that this generation had seen an “explosion” of diabetes along with autoimmune and allergic diseases.

He later clarified that he does not want to reach processed food for Americans.

“If you like McDonald’s cheeseburger or a diet coke – that my boss likes – you must be able to get them,” he said, referring to Trump’s famous affinity for the American fast -food chain.

Kennedy, who earlier said that he was in favor of abortion rights, was asked by Republican and Democratic Senator about his stand on the issue.

Republican Senator James Lankford asked Kennedy if he plans to bring back the conscience security for doctors who do not want to process due to religious or moral beliefs.

Kenny replied that forcing medical providers who believe that the murder of abortion is “to carry out the process” no meaning “.

Michael Bennett, a Democratic senator, then asked Kennedy about his previous comments, in which he expressed support for the rights of abortion and said governments should not be involved in a woman’s right to choose.

Kennedy launched his response by saying: “I believe every abortion is a tragedy.”

He later said that he agrees with Trump that the access of abortion should be controlled by individual states. Kennedy vowed to put his more liberal ideas aside, saying, “I serve in the happiness of the President. I am going to implement his policies.”

The attitude investigated the Democrats, including Senator Maggi Hasan, who accused Kennedy of “selling” his supporters like to secure the nomination of President Trump.

Kennedy was asked by Berney Sanders, a long -time advocate of Universal Healthcare, Berney Sanders, whether he believes that America should “guarantee all people as a human right.”

He replied by saying that he could not answer the question.

Kennedy introduced a fictional state of a 20 -year cigarette smoker with lung cancer, then considered whether the person should have the same healthcare access to anyone who does not smoke anyone.

Smoking, Kennedy said, “will be taken from the pool”, referring to general health care costs.

Sanders then criticized the pharmaceutical industry, saying that in American patients, more paid for similar medicines than people in European countries. He asked Kennedy if he was “ready to end that non -equality.”

Kennedy replied: “We should end that inequality”.

Later, Sanders asked if he supports the child’s cloth with anti-vaccine slogans. Some are sold by the health of the children, the organization that founded Kennedy.

“Are you a supporter of these people?” Sanders asked Kennedy, the rest of the committee showed his images.

Kennedy replied that he had no surveillance of the organization and resigned from his post there.

As specific, the nature and vowels of questions often differ on the basis of which political corridors they were coming from.

Democratic senators massively granted them knowledge about their previous anti-vaccine comments, misinformation on health issues and their knowledge about the US healthcare system including Medicare and Medicade.

However, some Republicans focused on their questions on Kennedy’s advocacy for eliminating chronic illness in children and their criticism of the American food industry.

In particular, Ron Johnson, a Republican Senator, Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson stated that Kennedy was “answer to his prayers”, and he was “terrible”.

Johnson himself has been criticized on misinformation anti -vaccine during the Kovid -19 epidemic.

As soon as the proceedings came to an end, Republican Senator and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Krapo gave his approval to Kennedy.

“I think you have come well, and deserve to confirm,” he told Kennedy.

On the other hand, Democratic Senator Ron Wayden accused Kennedy of giving “word salad” and the issues raised about his previous-anty-vaccine comments.

“I think your presentation is both incredible and untrained,” said Wayden.

Wednesday’s hearing was before the Senate Finance Committee. Kennedy face a second confirmation hearing on Thursday before health, education, labor and pension committee, where he will face more questions from the senators.

The committees will then vote on their nomination, before they could pass the entire Senate for consideration.