--- title: RFK Jr. Grilled on Vaccines and Insurance description: RFK Jr. claimed he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs in his confirmation hearing. canonical: https://time.com/7211019/robert-f-kennedy-jr-confirmation-hearing-hhs-vaccines-insurance/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-01-29T18:20:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:49:57.963Z article:section: Politics og:title: RFK Jr. Grilled on Vaccines and Insurance in Contentious Hearing og:description: RFK Jr. claimed he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs in his confirmation hearing. og:url: https://time.com/7211019/robert-f-kennedy-jr-confirmation-hearing-hhs-vaccines-insurance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1de5368812b203b/6998b2cdc8dcb43dd8b4de69/GettyImages-2196597652.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings For HHS Secretary Nominee Robert Kennedy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: RFK Jr. Grilled on Vaccines and Insurance in Contentious Hearing twitter:description: RFK Jr. claimed he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs in his confirmation hearing. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1de5368812b203b/6998b2cdc8dcb43dd8b4de69/GettyImages-2196597652.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Grilled on Vaccines and Insurance in Contentious Hearing > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1e8024b0-dda4-4b57-8c65-25156c256205&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: RFK Jr. Grilled on Vaccines in Contentious Senate Hearing [Watch (HLS stream): RFK Jr. Grilled on Vaccines in Contentious Senate Hearing](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2fqRpYmV.m3u8) (8:33)  _Published 2025-01-29. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled by Senators in his first confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday, during which he struggled to convince lawmakers that he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs and other policies he would oversee._ by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/) and [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) Jan 29, 2025 6:20 PM UTC Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled by Senators in his first confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday, during which he struggled to convince lawmakers that he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs and other policies he would oversee. by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/) and [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) Jan 29, 2025 6:20 PM UTC Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled by Senators in his first confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday, during which he struggled to convince lawmakers that he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs and other policies he would oversee. Appearing before the Senate Finance Committee, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s leading health agency insisted that he has been mistakenly labeled as anti-vaccine, despite his past remarks where he spread misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of immunization. “I am pro-safety,” said Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer who ran as a Democrat and then independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election before [endorsing Trump](https://time.com/7014448/rfk-campaign-trump-endorsement/). “All of my kids are vaccinated,” he said. “I’ve written many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, the first line of it is, ‘I am not anti-vaccine’ and the last line is, ‘I am not anti-vaccine.’” Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top ranking Democrat on the committee, referenced Kennedy’s appearances on multiple podcasts, in which Kennedy falsely claimed that no vaccine was safe or effective and said he regretted vaccinating his children. “Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine, or did you lie on all those podcasts?” Wyden asked. **Read More:** [_Public Health Experts Alarmed at Trump’s Pick of RFK Jr. to Lead HHS_](https://time.com/7177027/rfk-jr-hhs-secretary-trump-public-health/) While Kennedy faced critical questioning from Democrats, he and other cabinet nominees have benefited from solid support among Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, was confirmed despite widely being considered one of the most controversial picks. Kennedy’s appointment has sparked widespread debate, with opponents, including members of his own family, warning that his views could undermine public health efforts. On the eve of his first confirmation hearing, his cousin, Caroline Kennedy, accused him of “preying on the desperation of parents and sick children,” citing his role in stoking vaccine skepticism in the U.S. and abroad. But it’s not clear that more than three Republicans will vote against his confirmation, which is what would be required to sink it if all the Democrats vote together. Here are some of the key moments in Kennedy’s first day of confirmation hearings. ## **Vaccines** Democrats raised Kennedy’s controversial history with Samoa, accusing him of traveling to the country and spreading anti-vaccine misinformation after the government had temporarily paused on distributing vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella when two babies died in 2018 after receiving improperly prepared shots. Soon after Kennedy’s visit, a measles outbreak in Samoa killed 83 people, most of them children. Kennedy denied the allegations, saying he “went there, nothing to do with vaccines” and insisting, “You cannot find a single Samoan who will say, ‘I didn’t get a vaccine because of Bobby Kennedy.’” **Read More:** [_RFK Jr. Denied He Is Anti-Vaccine During His Confirmation Hearing. Here’s His Record_](https://time.com/7210943/rfk-confirmation-hearing-vaccines/) Kennedy said that he supported the measles and polio vaccines and vowed that he would not do anything that would make it difficult for or discourage people from getting immunized. But Democrats continued to push back, listing their concerns with his previous controversial statements on vaccines. “We've just had a measles case in Rhode Island, the first since 2013, and frankly, you frighten people,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island. ## **Health insurance** Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats and was viewed as a potential swing vote on Kennedy’s nomination, began his questioning by saying that he agrees with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” slogan. But as he pressed the nominee on his health insurance views, he appeared disappointed when Kennedy refused to say that healthcare is a human right. Kennedy has, in the past, said little about the health insurance programs that make up roughly a quarter of the federal budget and cover [more than 150 million Americans](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/health/medicaid-medicare-rfk-jr.html). During Wednesday’s hearing, he appeared to sometimes confuse Medicaid and Medicare (Medicaid is a state-federal program that provides coverage for low-income people, whereas Medicare is a federal program that offers coverage for older and disabled people). Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician considered a vote Kennedy needs to win confirmation, repeatedly asked Kennedy to share how he would reform Medicaid, a taxpayer funded program that could be subject to budget cuts to fund Trump’s agenda. “I don’t have a broad proposal for dismantling the program,” Kennedy said. **Read More:** [_RFK Jr.’s Confirmation Hearings Could Be Banner Moment For Anti-Vax Movement_](https://time.com/7210769/robert-kennedy-jr-confirmation-vaccine/) Kennedy said that “most people who are on Medicaid are not happy” because the premiums and deductibles are “too high.” But most people enrolled in Medicaid don’t pay premiums or deductibles. He also suggested that most Americans would prefer private insurance, eliciting laughter from Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Sanders. “I would ask any of the Democrats who are chuckling just now: Do you think all that money, the $900 billion that we're sending to Medicaid every year, has made Americans healthy? Do we think it’s working for anybody? Are the premiums low enough?” Kennedy said. ## **Abortion** Kennedy also faced questioning from Senators of both parties about his flip-flopping stance on abortion. When Sen. James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma who has called himself “the Senate’s most pro-life member,” asked Kennedy about abortion, the nominee replied, “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy” and that he agrees with the President that abortion policy should be left up to the states. But many Democrats, including Hassan and Sanders, referenced Kennedy’s past comments expressing support for bodily autonomy and people’s right to choose, slamming him for what Sanders called a “major U turn” on his beliefs. “It is remarkable that you have such a long record of fighting for women’s reproductive freedom, and really great that my Republican colleagues are so open to voting for a pro-choice HHS Secretary. So Mr. Kennedy, I’m confused,” Hassan said. “You have clearly stated in the past that bodily autonomy is one of your core values. The question is, do you stand for that value or not? When was it that you decided to sell out the values you’ve had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump?” Kennedy stumbled when asked about specific [abortion policies he would oversee](https://time.com/7209202/donald-trump-cabinet-abortion/) if confirmed to lead HHS. When Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, asked Kennedy if he agreed that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a federal law requiring hospitals to stabilize patients experiencing life-threatening situations whether or not they can pay, protects a pregnant person’s right to an emergency abortion, Kennedy paused before replying, “I don’t know.” Senators questioned Kennedy about what actions he would take on the abortion medication mifepristone. The drug, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for abortion purposes more than two decades ago, was recently [unsuccessfully challenged in court](https://time.com/6988192/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-decision/) by a group of anti-abortion doctors and organizations. The Biden Administration helped facilitate access to mifepristone by allowing it to be prescribed via telehealth and received by mail. Kennedy had a vague answer when asked about the drug, saying only that Trump asked him “to study the safety of mifepristone” but that the President “has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it.” ## **Conspiracy theories** Another contentious moment ensued when Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, challenged Kennedy on his past controversial statements, including his assertions that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon that targets Black people and spares Chinese and Ashkenazi Jews, and that Lyme Disease was an engineered bioweapon. “I probably did say that,” Kennedy said about Lyme Disease. Democrats on the committee appeared frustrated and unconvinced by Kennedy’s insistence that he is not a conspiracy theorist, and many criticized the nominee for being unqualified and unfit to run the top health agency. “What is so disturbing to me is that, out of 330 million Americans, we're being asked to put somebody in this job who has spent 50 years of his life not honoring the tradition that he talked about at the beginning of this conversation, but peddling in half truths, peddling in false statements,” Bennet said. ## Transcript Chairman, Ranking Member Wyden and members of this distinguished committee. I'm humbled to be sitting here today as President Trump's nominee to oversee the US Department of Health and Human Services. I want to thank President Trump for entrusting me to deliver on his promise to make America wealthy again. I also want to thank Cheryl and Kick and Bobby and all of my other children who are here today, and all the many members of my large extended family for the love that they have so generously shared. Ours has always been a family that has been involved in public service, and I look forward to continuing that tradition. Before I conclude, I want to make sure the committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I'm anti vaccine or any industry. I am neither. I am pro safety. No harm. We'll have order. Please proceed, Mr. Kennedy. I am pro safety. I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish. And nobody called me any fish. And I believe that my that vaccines play a critical role in health care. All of my kids are vaccinated. I've read many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, the first line of it is I am not anti-vaccine. And the last line is I am not anti-vaccine, nor am I the enemy of food producers. American farmers are the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security, Mr. Kennedy. All of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro pro-vaccine or did you lie on all those podcasts? He asked me, are there vaccines that are safe and effective? And I said to him, some of the live virus vaccines are. And I said, there are no vaccines that are safe and effective. And I was going to continue for every person, every medicine has people who are sensitive to them, including vaccines. So he interrupted me at that point. I've corrected it many times, including on national TV. You know about this, Senator Biden. So bring this up right now is dishonest. Let's be clear about what you've actually done then, since you want to deny your statements. For example, you have a history of trying to take vaccines away from people. In May of 2021, you petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to not only block Americans from having access to the Covid vaccine, but to prevent any future access to the life saving vaccine. Are you denying that your name is on the petition. We brought that petition after the CDC recommended the Covid vaccine without any scientific basis or six year old children. Most experts agree today, even the people who did it back then at Covid, vaccines are inappropriate for six year old children who basically have a zero risk from Covid. That's why I brought that lawsuit. I don't want to I want to emphasize. The. Fact I don't. Know the facts. The fact. That the committee will be in order. The nominee wrote a book saying that people had been misled into believing that measles is a deadly disease. He's trying now to play down his role in Samoa. That's not what the parents say. That's not what Governor Green says. It's time to make sure that we blow the whistle on actually what your views are. At least we're starting. We need to move on. I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking any. Anybody who believes that ought to look at the measles book you wrote saying parents have been misled into believing that measles is a deadly disease. That's not true. So I'm asking you, yes or no? Mr. Kennedy, did you say that Covid 19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon that targets black and white people, but spared Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people? I didn't say it was deliberately targeted. I just I just quoted an NIH funded and NIH published study. Did you say that it targets black and white people but spared Ashkenazi Jews? You quoted a study. Your honor, I quoted an NIH study that showed that. I'll take that as a yes. I have to move on. Mr.. I have to move on. Did you say that Lyme disease is a It is highly likely a materially engineered bioweapon. I made sure I put in the highly likely. Did you say Lyme disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon? I probably did say that. Did you say that? That's what. The developer. Of. I want all of our colleagues to hear it. Mr. Kennedy, I want them to hear it. You said yes. Did you say that exposure to pesticides causes children to become transgender? No, I never said that. Okay, I have the record that I'll give to the chairman, and he can make his judgment about what you said. Did you write in your book? And I. It's undeniable that African American African Aids is an entirely different disease from Western Aids. Yes or no, Mr. Kennedy? I'm not sure if I may. Okay. I'll give it to the chairman. Mr.. Mr. Kennedy, and my final question. Did you say on a podcast, and I quote, I wouldn't leave it abortion to the States. My belief is we should leave it to the woman. We shouldn't have the government involved, even if it's full term. Did you say that, Mr. Kennedy? Senator, I believe that every abortion is a tragedy. Did you say it, Mr. Kennedy? This matters. It doesn't matter what you come here and say that isn't true. That's not reflective of what you really believe that you haven't said over a decade after decade after decade. Because unlike other jobs, we're confirming around this place, this is a job where it is life and death. For the kids that I used to work for in the Denver Public Schools and for families all over this country that are suffering from living in the richest country of the world, that can't deliver basic health care and basic mental health care to them. It's too important for the games that you're playing, Mr. Kennedy. And I hope my colleagues will say to the president, I have no influence over him. I hope my colleagues will say to the president, out of 330 million Americans, we can do better than this. Thank you. We need to move on. But you also said we need to trust the women to make that choice. Because I don't trust government to make any choices. You said that too, right? Yes. It is remarkable that you have such a long record of fighting for women's reproductive freedom. And really great that my Republican colleagues are so open to voting for a pro-choice HHS secretary. So, Mr. Kennedy, I'm confused. You have clearly stated in the past that bodily autonomy is one of your core values. The question is, do you stand for that value or not? When was it that you decided to sell out the values you had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump? Senator, I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy, that we can't be a moral authority in this country. Right. So but that isn't what you said back in New Hampshire in 2023. My question is, exactly when did you decide to sell out your life's work and values to get this position? 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