## defiant RFK Jr. Questionsโค Vaccine Data, Defends Record Under Bipartisan Senate Grilling
Health and Human Services โSecretary Robert F. Kennedyโข Jr.โข facedโฃ a challenging confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor &โฃ Pensions Committee on Thursday, defending his โvaccine โpolicies and record while fielding criticism โฃfrom both sides of the aisle. The hearing โcentered โon Kennedy’s stance on vaccineโค safety, access, and data, as โwellโฃ as his โคrecent personnel decisions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The hearing wasโฃ sparked, in part, by โclaims โfrom former CDC Director Susanโ Monarez, โwho allegedโข she was forced out after refusing to recommend individuals “who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric” for a key vaccine advisory panel. Kennedy directly disputed Monarez’s account, stating she was untrustworthy โwhen he asked her directly, and claiming she told him,โ “no.” He asserted that the changes โขatโข the CDC were “absolutely โnecessary” and that his administration had “depoliticized it andโฃ put great scientists onโฃ it from a very diverse group, very, very pro-vaccine.”
During questioning, โSenator Bill โCassidy, a physician, challenged Kennedy on โฃrecent policy changes that have limited access to COVID-19โ vaccines. Cassidy โคcited a reportโข from a physician freind indicating that โpatients 65 and older now require a prescription to โคreceive a COVID-19 shot. “I would โsay effectively we areโฃ denying โpeople vaccines,” Cassidy stated. Kennedy responded, “You’re wrong.”
New federal guidelines, โapproved last week, require adults younger than 65 who areโฃ otherwise โhealthy toโ consult with a healthcare provider before vaccination, a move that has demonstrably made it โmore tough to accessโข the COVID-19 vaccine.
Kennedy also faced questions regardingโ the efficacyโฃ of the โคCOVID-19 vaccines. when asked if he knew how โคmanyโฃ lives the vaccines had saved, he admitted, “I have noโฃ idea how many lives it saved, but it saved quite a few,” citing “data chaos” within the federal agency.This statement contrasts with research estimatingโ that nearly 20 million lives were saved by the COVID-19 vaccines in their first year of availability.
Theโ hearing also touched on Kennedy’s views on past administration efforts. He surprisingly stated, “Absolutely,” whenโ asked by Cassidy if โhe believed President Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed, the initiative that accelerated the development of COVID-19 vaccinesโ and treatments.โ Cassidy expressed surprise, noting Kennedy’s seeming efforts to restrict vaccine access and his decision โto cancel $500 million in contracts for โคmRNA โฃvaccine technology development – a key component of Operation Warp โขSpeed.
Kennedy’s positions have drawn โimportant reaction beyond Capitol Hill. Over 1,000 employees at the health agency and national health organizations โฃhaveโฃ called for his โresignation.โข In response, Florida announced plans to become the first state to end all vaccine โคmandates, including for schoolchildren. California,โ Washington, and oregonโ have formed an alliance to โคaddress โconcerns aboutโ the federal โpublic healthโข agency, focusing on โensuring public access to credible vaccineโฃ information.
Despite theโ criticism, Kennedy maintained his stance, โstating, “I am not going to sign on to something if I can’t make it with scientific certainty.It doesn’t mean Iโข am antivax, it just means I am pro-science.” He reiterated his commitment to ensuring the public has access to โreliable information regarding vaccine safety and efficacy.