The new chair of the Senate committee that oversees the Department of Health and Human Services didn’t immediately endorse President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency after meeting with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday.
Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote in a tepid social media post following the meeting that he had a “frank” conversation with Kennedy and that the two spoke “at length” about vaccines.
On Sunday, Cassidy, a doctor, told Fox News that Kennedy, who has for years contradicted health authorities by advocating against vaccination, was “wrong” about them.
Kennedy has said he doesn’t want to take vaccines away from anyone but wants to make more safety and efficacy data available to the public.
Kennedy is in the midst of a second round of meetings with senators.
Following the meeting with Cassidy, Kennedy told reporters it was “good,” but declined further comment. He is also meeting this week with members of the Democratic caucus on the committees that oversee HHS.
Kennedy got positive reviews from Republicans after a first round of meetings last month. Those included meetings with senators who oppose abortion as well as those who advocate for farm and food interests. Kennedy has in the past favored abortion rights and criticized American agricultural and food manufacturing practices.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), a Southern Baptist minister before coming to Congress who describes himself as “the Senate’s most pro-life member,” told POLITICO last month he was convinced after meeting with Kennedy that he would fall in line with the Trump administration’s abortion stance.
Republican Chuck Grassley, who has advocated for Iowa’s farmers in the Senate since 1981 and previously said he was worried about Kennedy’s desire to regulate food production and manufacturing, said in December he sees a lot to like in Kennedy’s anti-establishment views. Grassley suggested he may be willing to overlook disagreements on agricultural issues.
“Maybe he doesn’t have the right answers for me on that. But I know he’s going in and shaking up a department that needs to be shaken up,” Grassley said. “We have a mandate from the last election.”
Why it matters: Kennedy can afford to lose only three Republican votes and still get confirmed, should all Democrats vote against him.
If Cassidy were to oppose him, it would likely signal broader GOP defections.
Democrats who are doctors and public health groups have targeted Cassidy, among others, to pressure them to vote against Kennedy’s confirmation. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat and a doctor who is lobbying against Kennedy’s confirmation, said he hoped to meet with Cassidy about the dangers the nominee poses to public health.
What’s next: Cassidy’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as well as the Finance Committee, are expected to hold confirmation hearings with Kennedy soon.
