Rfk Jr. Set To Face Bill Cassidy In Back-to-back Senate Hearings

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to Capitol Hill connected Wednesday connected a imaginable collision people pinch nan Republican who helped put him successful nan job: Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy.

It will beryllium Kennedy’s first quality successful astir a twelvemonth earlier nan Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, which Cassidy chairs. The senator, who is up for reelection, formed nan cardinal ballot to corroborate Kennedy past twelvemonth aft securing a bid of promises from Kennedy, including that he would sphere national vaccine recommendations and regularly look earlier nan committee.

Kennedy has not kept those promises; Cassidy has constricted his disapproval of nan wellness caput to posts connected societal media and property statements. He has been vocal successful his support of vaccines, including during nan March confirmation proceeding for Dr. Casey Means, a Kennedy state who has questioned vaccines. Cassidy has not yet scheduled a vote to beforehand Means’ nomination.

Wednesday’s proceeding will people Kennedy’s first quality earlier Cassidy since a confrontational Senate Finance Committee proceeding successful September and could connection nan clearest motion yet of really nan legislator plans to grip those concerns. A spokesperson for Cassidy declined to remark connected what nan legislator plans to inquire Kennedy.

Kennedy is besides expected to look questions from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring adjacent year and has said he plans to speak much freely astir his views, including connected members of Trump’s cabinet. (Tillis voted to corroborate each members of Trump’s furniture successful 2025.)

Kennedy will look earlier nan Finance Committee successful nan greeting and nan HELP Committee successful nan afternoon.

In January, Kennedy overhauled nan puerility vaccine schedule, reducing nan number of recommended diseases for children to beryllium vaccinated against from 18 to 11 — a move Cassidy later said successful a station connected X would “make America sicker.” The changes removed recommendations that each babies should beryllium protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue and 2 types of bacterial meningitis.

In March, a national judge blocked those changes and put connected clasp nan caller members Kennedy appointed to nan CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. The management hasn’t yet appealed nan ruling. But Kennedy signed disconnected connected caller rules for nan committee that could make it easier to activity astir nan court’s decision.

Dorit Reiss, a vaccine argumentation master astatine nan University of California Law San Francisco, said that she hopes that Cassidy will clasp Kennedy accountable.

“There’s a raging bales outbreak,” Reiss said. “Kennedy whitethorn person fixed lukewarm endorsements to nan MMR vaccine but, arsenic acold arsenic I know, hasn’t made immoderate efforts to telephone connected group to vaccinate aliases to do thing applicable to trim nan risk.”

Kennedy has already testified astatine 5 legislature hearings complete nan past week. He has faced blistering disapproval from Democrats complete his vaccine argumentation and overhaul of national wellness agencies. At 1 hearing, Kennedy said nan U.S. has “done better” astatine preventing bales than immoderate different country.

“Judging by Secretary Kennedy’s caller grounds to Congress, he is apt to proceed to gaslight nan Senate Finance and HELP committees,” said Lawrence Gostin, head of nan O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law astatine Georgetown University. “He continues utilizing position for illustration ‘world-class science,’ ‘rigorous evidence,’ and ‘radical transparency,’ erstwhile successful truth he has done nan opposite.”

In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for nan Department of Health and Human Services, called what Gostin said “a baseless accusation that doesn’t lucifer reality.”

Another imaginable wildcard for Kennedy is Tillis, a Republican who is not seeking reelection, Reiss said.

During nan September hearing, she noted, Tillis suggested that Kennedy had broken his promises connected vaccines, saying, “I do besides judge that immoderate of your statements look to contradict what you said successful nan anterior hearing.”

“The truth that you’re a Republican doesn’t mean that you request to blindly judge [Kennedy’s actions],” Reiss said.

A spokesperson for Tillis did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Kennedy could besides look questions astir his caller comments to overhaul nan U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a national sheet that makes recommendations connected preventive services, including crab screenings, arsenic good arsenic connected President Donald Trump’s executive order meant to spur investigation into psychedelics.