Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to face Senate in confirmation hearings for HHS: How to watch
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to face the Senate for a two-day confirmation hearing beginning Wednesday in a bid to become the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services.
President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of the nation’s top health agency, Kennedy has been a controversial choice to head the HHS, which oversees agencies handling food and drug safety, disease epidemics and health insurance. Kennedy, 71, has faced pushback over his promotion of unfounded claims about vaccines and some have questioned his views on abortion.
Kennedy is set to testify in Senate hearings Wednesday and Thursday, but just one of those committees will vote to determine if his nomination goes before the full Senate for a vote.
Here's what to know about Kennedy and how to watch his confirmation hearing.
Watch RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearing
Paste BN is streaming the hearings which can be viewed at the top of this story.
The first hearing, hosted by the Senate finance committee, begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday and will be streamed on the committee's website. Livestream for Wednesday's hearing.
Kennedy will then testify at 10 a.m. Thursday to the health, education, labor and pensions committee. That hearing will also be streamed on the committee's website. Livestream for Thursday's hearing.
Who is RFK Jr.?
Kennedy worked as an environmental attorney for decades before running for president last year as an independent.
Hailing from one of the most well-known political families in U.S. history, Kennedy is a son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, the brother of President John F. Kennedy. Both men were infamously assassinated, JFK in 1963 and RFK in 1968.
Kennedy is married to actor and director Cheryl Hines, best known for her role in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
During his campaign for president, largely backed by his Silicon Valley running mate Nicole Shanahan and Trump supporter Timothy Mellon, Kennedy emphasized his anti-corporate stance. Kennedy eventually dropped out of the race to endorse Trump, who then nominated him for HHS secretary.
Since joining Trump, Kennedy has focused on a "Make America Healthy Again" slogan, emphasizing the need for the government to address chronic health issues.
Trump, who has said he’d let Kennedy “go wild” on health, food and medicine has himself faced critiques from his nominee, who has criticized Trump's diet, including the fast food on his campaign airplane, as "poison."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversies
Kennedy has faced no shortage of pushback on his looming nomination to run the nation's top health agency – including from his own family.
On the eve of Kennedy's confirmation hearing, his cousin and only living child of JFK posted a video on social media calling Kennedy a "predator."
“I have known Bobby my whole life," Caroline Kennedy says in the video, in which she's reading aloud a letter she wrote to senators. "We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator."
Many political leaders and scientists have opposed Kennedy's record of questioning the efficacy of vaccines and the origin of COVID-19. He's also spread unfounded claims about a link between childhood vaccines and autism, and he proposed controversial moves like the removal of fluoride from drinking water.
In December, 77 Nobel laureates came out to urge the Senate to vote down Kennedy Jr. in a letter published in the New York Times, pointing to his views against vaccines and fluoride in drinking water.
Earlier this month, a conservative group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence called for senators to vote against Kennedy's nomination due to his past support for abortion. In a letter to U.S. senators, the conservative advocacy group Advancing American Freedom (AFF) criticized Kennedy as being “pro-abortion" and professed skepticism of his recent "overtures to pro-life leaders."
If confirmed to run the HHS, Kennedy Jr. would be tasked with enforcing Trump's policies on abortion access.
When choosing Kennedy Jr. for the role, Trump said on Truth Social: "The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country."
Contributing: Karen Weintraub, Erin Mansfield, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Paste BN
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com