WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s famous name, populist stances and loyal following have earned him President Donald Trump's support, but will that get him the votes he needs from the Republican-controlled Senate to become the nation's top health official?
If approved, Kennedy will control a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees food and hospital inspections, hundreds of health clinics, vaccine recommendations and health insurance for roughly half the country.
His confirmation hearings are set before the Senate finance committee on Wednesday and the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee on Thursday.
Here's what to watch during his confirmation hearings:
How will he explain his vaccine views?
Over many years, Kennedy has been clear about his beliefs on vaccines in dozens of interviews, podcasts and social media posts.
He's headed up a nonprofit that has sued the government over its authorizations of vaccines. He's said there is “ no vaccine that is safe and effective," and repeatedly called for further study of routine childhood vaccinations, despite decades of research and real-world use that proves they've safely prevented disease.
But more recently, Kennedy has tried to downplay his past remarks and work, saying he's not anti-vaccine and promising not to “take away” the shots.
The health committee chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also has expressed concerns about Kennedy's anti-vaccine work. A physician, Cassidy said earlier this month he “had a frank conversation” and “spoke about vaccines at length” with Kennedy. On Tuesday, Cassidy told reporters that he is still unsure if he is backing Trump’s nominee.
“I’m still working through it,” Cassidy said during a press availability with Louisiana reporters on Tuesday. “I look forward to the hearings and I will allow that to guide my decision.”
The intensity of the questioning on vaccines over the next two days could provide clues for how other Republicans — like Sen. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor who represents Kentucky — might consider Kennedy’s nomination.
Watch for overtures to the anti-abortion movement
Some of the country's most conservative lawmakers have been worried about how Kennedy will handle abortion as health secretary.
Republican Sen. James Lankford, who sits on the finance committee, is expected to grill Kennedy, a longtime Democrat, on the issue during Wednesday's hearing. Lankford is seen as a possible “no” vote over Kennedy's past comments supporting abortion. Last month, the Oklahoma senator said he had a “good conversation” with Kennedy but stopped short of endorsing.
HHS can influence abortion and reproductive health access in a number of ways, including with millions of dollars in grants it sends to Planned Parenthood and regulations around abortion pills. Under the Biden administration, the agency also said hospitals were required to provide emergency abortions for pregnant women in medical distress.
On Monday, acting HHS Secretary Dorothy Fink signaled the agency is prepared to adopt a tougher stance on abortion under Kennedy. She ordered the agency to investigate all of its programs to make sure no taxpayer money is going toward elective abortions.
There are Democrats he's trying to woo, too
Kennedy needs to earn support from nearly all Senate Republicans, but he may also try to pick up a vote or two from the Democratic Party. His closest supporters and advisers have urged followers to call the offices of Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
Another Democratic senator may also be in play: John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who met with Kennedy and has said he's open to supporting Trump's nominees.
An area where Kennedy is trying to find common ground with Democratic senators: food regulations and access to healthier foods. Kennedy has said he supports Medicare and Medicaid helping people pay for healthier foods and gym memberships, an idea Democrats have lobbied for as well. He's also called for a ban on some of the ingredients used in foods, like dyes and additives.
Will that letter come up?
In a letter sent to U.S. senators on Tuesday, Caroline Kennedy shared shocking personal details about her cousin, saying he is not qualified for the health secretary job.
Caroline Kennedy said RFK Jr.'s views on vaccines are a problem, but she also brought up her experiences growing up with him.
A copy obtained by The Associated Press notes that while she admired him for overcoming a drug addiction, she said he has gone on to “misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life.” In an extreme anecdote, she accused him of hosting drug-fueled gatherings in his basement, dorm and garage where he “enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks.”
Meanwhile, another cousin, former Rhode Island congressman and Democrat Patrick J. Kennedy, threw his support behind the health secretary nominee in an opinion piece for The Washington Post on Tuesday. RFK Jr. helped pull him out of addiction, Patrick J. Kennedy said.
“Bobby was the first family member to call and offer his personal and public support, even at a time when some in my family criticized me for breaking the so-called family code of silence,” he wrote.
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Associated Press writer Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.
Amanda Seitz, The Associated Press
