“50/50”
Finance Committee members will vote on whether to send Trump’s pick to the full Senate for confirmation. A committee spokesperson said senators had until 5pm (2200 GMT) on Wednesday to submit questions for the record, and Kennedy has to answer them all before a vote can take place.
Kennedy is also scheduled to appear in front of a Senate panel that oversees health on Thursday.
Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and Novavax fell 9.4 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively, on Wednesday.
Jefferies analyst Michael Yee expects Kennedy to have a “50/50” chance of advancing to the full Senate for a confirmation vote and sees a major biotech “RFK rally” if he fails to secure confirmation.
The Republican-controlled Senate has not rejected any of Trump’s nominees so far. His controversial defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, squeaked by in a 51-50 vote after Vice President JD Vance was needed to break a tie on Friday, despite concerns that the nominee was not qualified for the position, and allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
Speaking to reporters in the halls of the Senate outside the hearing, Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he thought Kennedy was doing a “great job” and that he would likely clear the Finance Committee. Tillis was one of the senators that opposition groups were targeting to vote against Kennedy.
On two separate occasions, protesters disrupted Kennedy’s hearing. One shouted, “He lies,” before being removed from the room. Some Kennedy supporters wore “Make America Healthy Again” hats.
“NO VAX, NO PROBLEM”
Kennedy has decried the US food industry for adding ingredients he says make Americans less healthy. During the hearing, he said fewer processed foods should be available in school lunches or for purchase with food stamps. Both those programs fall under the purview of the US Department of Agriculture rather than HHS.
Some Republicans’ questions were more pointed, including from Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who told Kennedy to leave agricultural practices to the USDA.
Kennedy seemed unsure about how to answer some questions on Medicare and Medicaid, which account for most of the nation’s health budget. In response to Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, Kennedy said he did not have a proposal for reforming the Medicaid program.
Senator Bernie Sanders questioned Kennedy over his involvement with the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, which he founded. Sanders pointed to “onesie” clothes for babies sold by the group that tout phrases such as “No Vax, No Problem”.
“I have no power over that organisation,” Kennedy said. He had resigned as chairman in December, writing at the time, “it has been one of my greatest privileges and honours to lead this group over all these years.”
Healthcare coverage advocacy group Protect Our Care organised a rally against Kennedy ahead of the hearing, displaying mock headstones to represent deaths in 2019 in Samoa following a measles outbreak there. The group says that Kennedy had visited the area at that time and spread misinformation about vaccines. Kennedy denies any role in exacerbating that outbreak.
Caroline Kennedy, another member of the storied American political family, on Tuesday urged senators to vote against her cousin’s nomination, calling him a predator with dangerous views on healthcare.
Some Republicans also object to Kennedy’s past comments in support of abortion rights, as well as his perceived stance against the pharmaceutical industry. During the hearing, Kennedy said he agrees with Trump that states should decide access to abortion.
