FROM THE HILL: Republican senators are sending clear signs of disapproval and unhappiness with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., making it plain to President Trump that they want the administration to address the chaos Kennedy has caused by trying to rewrite the nation’s vaccine policies.
GOP senators have stopped short of calling on Kennedy to resign and haven’t yet said they regret voting for him in February, but they want him to back off efforts to change vaccine policy recommendations without sound scientific backing as the administration faces a growing public backlash.
Kennedy received an unusual admonishment from Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), an orthopedic surgeon, when he testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday.
“I support vaccines. I’m a doctor. Vaccines work,” said Barrasso.
“Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines,” the Senate’s No. 2-ranking Republican leader continued. “Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned.”
“Americans don’t know who to rely on,” he added. “If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’t allow public health to be undermined.”
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), said Kennedy’s policy changes are limiting the availability of vaccines.
“I would say, effectively, we’re denying people vaccines,” Cassidy told Kennedy.
After the hearing, Cassidy declined to say whether he still has “confidence” in Kennedy’s ability to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) accused Kennedy of not sticking to his promise to empower the scientists to do their jobs without political interference.
“I do also believe that some of your statements seem to contradict what you said in the prior hearing. You said you’re going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their job — I’d just like to see evidence where you’ve done that,” Tillis said.
Tillis said he’d also seen “several reports that would seem to refute” Kennedy’s pledge to senators not to make it difficult or discourage people from taking vaccines.
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