Washington – In a controversial confirmation hearing to become the country’s top health officer, Robert F. Kennedy Junior struggled to answer questions about Medicare and Medicade, programs that affect millions of Americans, or provide details about the cost of health services.
Kennedy faced a well -funded opposition campaign by Republican and Democrats, which highlighted the support of his anti -vaccine rhetoric and abortion access. The Democrats questioned his previous comments, while Republican praised him for his views and expected to do research on the food addicts and to research on an increase in diseases.
To be the Secretary of Health and Human Services as President Donald Trump’s choice, he seemed to remove strong support from Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee to lead the department responsible for $ 1.7 trillion in federal expenses.
Kennedy requires most of the Republican support for the job. And after three hours of hearing on Wednesday, Republican Sen Bill Cassidi, Louisiana, a doctor who is head of health, education, labor and pension committee who would sit before Thursday, looked uncertain.
Kennedy had no response to casidi, who asked the nominee to share plans for a medicid reform, a multicibilian-dollar taxpayer-funded program that covers health care for about 80 million people including children, including children. . Republican has said that they may need to deduct the Medicade deeply to fund Trump’s proposals.
After pressing him several times, Cassidi finally replied, “I don’t have a comprehensive proposal to destroy the program.”
He went incorrectly how the biggest programs in agency work work, improvement from senators during the hearing. Medicade, he wrongly said, is fully paid by the federal government – it is not; State and federal taxpayers fund it. Later, he talked about the “high premium and high cuts” of the Medicade, although not virtually a free program. He appeared confused about questions on hundreds of community health clinics, agency funds in cities across the country or it plays a role in a federal law that compulsory emergency rooms to stabilize anyone present in their convenience Does.
And on some of the most controversial questions – such as his plans for abortion – he postponed Trump. For a long time Democrat, Kennedy had earlier said during his unsuccessful President’s dialect that he had supported access to abortion, but on Wednesday he said that every abortion is a “tragedy”.
Consideration of vaccines is still the biggest issue for Democrats
Kennedy tried to assure the senators that he supports childhood vaccines, stating that his children were vaccinated. “I believe TK plays an important role in health care,” Kennedy told the committee.
Republican did not ask about Kennedy’s views on vaccines. However, Democrats repeatedly brought previous comments or evidence that Kennedy discouraged their use. The allegations often led the audience to back and forth and led the outbreak.
Democrats pointed to Kennedy’s writings, podcast appearances and other comments, showing that Mr. Kennedy has adopted the principles of conspiracy and unproven alternative remedies, especially when it comes to vaccine safety and efficacy. Sen Michael Bennett of Colorado pressed Kennedy on controversial and false claims, which he made about Kovid -19, pesticides and AIDS. Kennedy accepted some statements and denied others.
Bennett said, “This is a task where it is life and death for children that I worked in Denver public schools and for families of this country who are suffering.”
Senator Berney Sanders, an independent from Vermont, who caucas with Democrats, said he supported Kennedy’s slogan, “Make America healthy” but the comment stopped there. He accused Kennedy of being hypocritical on his vaccine ideas. To prove his point, Sanders displayed a picture of “UnwaxXED Unsfrade” on the children’s health protection website, which was on the website of Kennedy’s Anti-Vaccine Advocacy Group, which Kennedy recently led Was.
Kennedy said that he had nothing to do with the product, and he said that he is no longer with the group.
Sen Elizabeth Warren, D-Mas. Will continue to collect legal fees from the lawsuit. The vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. He earned $ 850,000 from the system last year. If approved as Health Secretary, Warren made several changes, which can make Kennedy, which can enrich profits with such cases, in which advocates to vaccine advocates of advisors Appointment, recommendations include removing vaccines or changing the way the vaccine injury compensation program work.
He will not be committed to Warren’s asking.
“No one should be fooled, as the secretary of HHS Robert Kennedy will have the power to reduce vaccines and vaccine manufacturing across our country,” Warren alleged.
Seni Smith of Minnesota, meanwhile, asked Kennedy to convince his baseless suggestions that dramatic growth in school shooting in recent decades could be linked to an increase in antidepressant use.
Smith said, “You have linked these statements with the shooting of the school, which reinforces the stigma that people who experience mental health every day,” Smith said, who shared that he was a young man Using medicines as a woman benefited.
Republican saw very little reason for anxiety, very hungry for support
Some Republican said that Kennedy was inaugurated after Kennedy Democratic Senators were seeing as a pile of attacks. If the Democrats vote in a block against Kennedy, they can only lose four Republican votes and still win confirmation.
On Kennedy’s support for abortion rights, especially former Vice President Mike Pence was protested for his nomination. Republican Sen James Lankford was a Republican of Oklahoma under a close watch.
He and Kennedy have done “some disagreement on the issue of life”, Lankford said, but Kennedy repeatedly assured him that he would follow Trump’s leadership on the issue.
Abortion was a flashpoint for democrats, however, who had zero their plans around the abortion pill. Kennedy said that Trump has asked him to study the safety of the drug, which anti -abortion advocates have advocated further banning. Democrats said that the drug has been studied for a quarter century.
Kennedy said that he wants to use the National Institute of Health to do more research on food additives, and he will work closely with the US Department of Agriculture, which Fedarly-Fund School Lunch Program as well as food assistance for the poor But we will take a look. ,
But he promised to ban certain foods. His boss, finally, would have been sad if he had done so.
“I don’t want to take food from anyone,” he said. “If you prefer a thing – a McDonald’s cheeseburger and a diet coke like my boss – you should be able to get them.”