My liveblog of RFK Jr's 2nd Senate Confirmation Hearing

This morning the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions) Committee held the 2nd round of questioning for Donald Trump's nominee to become the U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

I watched the full 3 hours of the hearing and liveposted the entire thing on Bluesky. Needless to say, there are some typos and grammatical errors, and much of what I posted is paraphrasing, but it's as accurate as I could make it in the moment:

Here comes Round 2 of RFK Jr's confirmation hearings.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) is the chair. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) is the ranking member.

Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services | The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions

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It's worth noting that the HELP Committee also includes GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK) & Susan Collins (ME), the most likely GOP Senators to vote against Kennedy. Cassidy is also a doctor, as is Roger Marshall (KS) and (sort of) Rand Paul (KY).

Cassidy starts off by praising vaccines and calling Kennedy out for his history of anti-vaxx rhetoric. Sanders starts off w/his usual rant about the U.S. healthcare system being broken/corrupt, says 68K/yr dying due to lack of healthcare, "every other country guarantees healthcare as a right" etc.

Kennedy starts out acknowledging the midair collision tragedy last night including a comment to Sen. Marshall (the plane was flying in from Wichita, KS).

GOP committee members: Cassidy, Paul, Collins, Murkowski, Mullin, Marshall, Scott, Hawley, Tuberville (oy), Banks, Husted & Moody Dem committee members: Sanders, Murray, Baldwin, Murphy, Kaine, Hassan, Hickenlooper, Markey, Kim, Rochester, Alsobrooks (1st hearing for the last 3??)

Kennedy makes some valid points about the big picture of the U.S. healthcare system but then starts flat-out lying again about being an anti-vaxxer, pro-science, etc. Kisses Trump's ass a lot.

Cassidy starts off re. vaccines: Absolutely zero evidence that vaccines cause autism. Demands Kennedy give a yes/no response about whether measles vaccines cause autism. Kennedy refuses to answer yes/no. Cassidy, to his credit, keeps going after him on it.

Cassidy gives him an out: If I show you this mountain of data that's been out there for decades showing they don't cause autism, will you admit you were wrong? Kennedy: If you show it to me, yes. Cassidy brings up Kennedy's "lime disease is a bioweapon" claim.

Cassidy: Will you promise that the FDA won't deprioritize or delay vaccine approval beyond the current standards? Kennedy promises to. Sanders is up: Follows up re. vaccines not causing autism. Reiterates that there's a mountain of evidence already: YES or NO? Kennedy hedges.

Sanders: Re. COVID: The vaccines have saved 3M lives. Notes that even Trump praised the COVID vaccines, but Kennedy called for the FDA to pull approval of them. "Was Trump right or were you right?" Kennedy: Claims he filed the lawsuit after it was approved for 6-yr olds.

Sanders points out that Kennedy is the one applying for the job, he should know this already. Moves towards Trump/GOP pushing to massively slash Medicaid: "If confirmed, will you stand up to Trump & say no to slashing Medicaid?"

Kennedy grandstands. Sanders: The GOP plans on massively cutting Medicaid: Yes or no, will you stand up to them? Kennedy claims he "hasn't seen any proposals" and that Trump claims he wants to make "Medicaid, Medicare & Obamacare better."

Rand Paul is up: Starts attacking recommending giving hepatitis b vaccines to children. Says the COVID vaccine shouldn't be given to 6-month olds The general GOP pattern seems to be attacking vaccines for young children as opposed to everyone else.

Rand Paul just called autism a "disease." It isn't. Still claims that vaccines might cause autism. Claims children are "completely normal" until they turn "18 or 19" and then their "brains go haywire."

Rand Paul hasn't actually asked any questions, nor has RFK Jr said a word in response. He gets applause for some reason. Cassidy calls Paul out re. hepatitis vaccines for children, since if the mother has hepatitis the kid absolutely has to be vaccinated (& you often don't know if the mother does).

Patty Murray is up: References last nights tragedy to remind folks that we need COMPETENT people in charge. Notes the benefits of the HPV vaccine & that Kennedy has attacked it: "yes/no do you stand by your previous statements?" Kennedy dodges.

Murray brings up *character*: You were accused of sexual harassment & assault. You claimed you "aren't a choirboy" & you texted your victim to apologize. He claims it's false & that he was apologizing for "something else."

Marshall is up (has to leave early for another meeting re. the tragedy last night): Moves to fighting chronic disease, lets Kennedy freestyle Kennedy starts by reminding everyone his uncle was President when he was a kid.

Kennedy goes off on a rant about autism rates skyrocketing. Marshall actually interrupts him to ask again about what he'd actually do about chronic disease. Kennedy attacks Dems for focusing on measles when a lot more people have chronic diseases.

Marshall claims Kennedy's words have been horribly "misinterpreted" and "misstated." Asks Kennedy to reassure ranchers/farmers in Kansas. (I'm assuming this is about food additives/agricultural practices etc)

Kennedy claims Trump was "the best president in history for our farmers" for some reason or another. Sen. Baldwin is up: Notes that Kennedy keeps telling people to "show him the data/studies" but the data/studies have been out for years.

Baldwin: Notes that Kennedy is flat-out wrong re "post-release safety studies," asks if Kennedy is aware of the ongoing post-approval monitoring programs at the FDA & CDC (rattles off a dozen different programs) Kennedy claims he's aware of some of them. Clearly doesn't have a clue re. most of them

Baldwin: "For a drug to be considered safe, if 97-98% of those given it have no complications is it safe?" "If we were to talk about peer reviews, would 10 or 20 be enough? How about 100?" (she's talking about mifepristone...over 100 studies have shown that 99% have no complications)

Sen. Mullin is up: Claims that if Biden had nominated RFK Jr. every Dem would be supporting him (Biden wouldn't have and didn't). Claims that we absolutely should question science & that his kids look like pincushions after getting 72 (?) vaccines.

Asks Kennedy to restate the "autism numbers" from "when he was a kid" vs today. This is utter nonsense of course because in 1963 autism was often undiagnosed. Kennedy brings up thalidomide babies.

Mullin claims that autism rates have gone from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 36 and that therefore we must ask whether it's due to vaccines. Mullin is big on "Just Asking Questiosns" He gets light applause.

Sen. Tim Kaine is up: Starts talking about the midair collision tragedy. Brings up Kennedy's conspiracy theory re. 9/11 which he posted on Twitter last July. 23 years later.

Kennedy said that he "won't take sides on 9/11" and that "it's hard to tell what's a conspiracy theory" or not...in July 2024 while he was running for President.

Kaine brings up the gardasil HPV vaccine again: A shitload of studies have found that gardisil is safe/effective. Kennedy publicly claimed that Gardisil is "killing young girls." Kaine points out that Kennedy has a lot of litigation involving Gardisil...he gets 10% of the fees.

Next up: Tim Scott: Kennedy told him that his deputies would be "pro-life." Will you stand by that? Kennedy: I'll implement Trump's policies...which will be pro-life.

Scott brings up sickle cell. Kennedy claims he has "many friends" with sickle-cell and that NIH should be "enthusiastically supporting" sickle cell research. Scott: Hurricane Helene took out a major IV facility supply chain...how would you prioritize efforts to keep drugs/etc available?

Chris Murphy is up: "Credibility matters." Brings up Kennedy's testimony yesterday re. his flat-out lying/denying a bunch of his prior statements; gives him another chance to be honest re. what he's said:

--Kennedy compared the vaccine program to Catholic church pedophiles --Kennedy compared the vaccine program to the Holocaust --Kennedy claimed AIDS is different in Africa than America Murphy reads Kennedy's prior statements verbatim.

Murphy agrees w/Mullin that we should "question" science but points out that Kennedy isn't "questioning" it, he's already made up his mind about it & is working backwards from there to support his conclusions...the exact opposite of the scientific method.

Kennedy tries to claim that his statement about the vaccine program are "almost identical" to the "findings" at the CDC at the time. Um...no.

Oh Christ...here's Sen. Hawley: He says that Pres. Biden issued a rule requiring any doctor receiving federal funding to provide transgender medical procedures for children. If confirmed would you reverse that rule? Kennedy: Yes.

Hawley: Brings up NIH fetal cell stemcell research funding (wow...this takes me back to 2003...) Kennedy would forbid it. Brings up Title X (federal funding for abortion/planned parenthood/etc): Kennedy would forbid it.

Hawley on Mifepristone: Biden admin rule on "chemical abortion?" Kennedy: Whatever Trump wants.

Sen. Hasan is up: She notes that she's voted for 5 of Trump's nominees, including his Transportation Sec (trying to prove that she's not being partisan). She breaks up while talking about her 36-yr odl son who has cerebal palsy. SHE"S PISSED. WHOA. THIS IS SOMETHING TO WATCH.

Hasan now asks Kennedy to simply state what Medicare & Medicaid actually *are.* What's Medicare Part A? Kennedy gets it wrong. What's Medicare Part B? Kennedy gets it wrong. What's Medicare Part C? Kennedy gets it wrong.

Asks Kennedy about Medicaid re. federal vs state funding. Kennedy finally acknowledges that he got it wrong yesterday.

OH SHIT HERE COMES TUBERVILLE: Tuberville claims that Biden's HHS Sec. "didn't do a damned thing" during COVID. Says that "his sons were gonna vote for RFK Jr last year" because "he got them interested" in healthcare.

Tuberville claims that we're "giving out adderall like candy" to children instead of "taking a belt and whipping their butts." He wants to know what Kennedy would do about that.

Tuberville claims his kids have "done their research" and "won't let his granddaughter become a pincushion." Asks about Red Dye #3 being used in cosmetics but not in food. Kennedy talking re. various dyes in the U.S. vs. Europe, the number of ingredients here vs. there. Make America Europe Again?

Sen. Andy Kim is up: Asking about opioid addiction & how to get people off of it. Kennedy talks about different types of treatments. Kim asks about GLP-1 drugs (wegovey/ozempic/etc) Kennedy: "They shouldn't be the 1st option for 6-yr old kids."

Kim: In the past you've said that WiFi & 5G radiation causes cancer. Do you stand by that? Kennedy: Yes....it "changes DNA" (????)

Kim: CDC collecting/disseminating data on firearm mortality / mass shootings? Kennedy: I support that.

Sen. Banks is up: "Trump won an "historic" victory" in part due to the "MAHA Moms." Trump said he's gonna put you "front & center" for "MAHA" and you have my "full support" Anyone who votes against you is "thumbing your nose" against them. "An obese military is a national security risk"

Kennedy claims that "Americans aren't gluttonous & lazy...something is poisoning us." We have to "study the additives" and "stop the conflicts of interest."

Banks: "The biggest threat to America is the Communist Chinese Party"...notes that 1/3 of our drugs come from China, national security threat, etc, what'll you do about that? Kennedy: Agrees. Claims that "Trump is committed to doing just that." (Just WHAT? Dunno.)

Sen. Blunt Rochester: "As a former health official in my state, I'm deeply concerned by your lack of understanding of the BASICS of the HHS Dept....yesterday & today you confused details re. Medicare/Medicaid, EMTALA, Mifepristone, etc...and espcially your decades of attacks on vaccines"

Re. EMTALA: Yes/no: Do you believe anyone who goes to an emergency room should be able to get emergency care? (Including an abortion to save the life of a pregnant woman) Kennedy: Yes, if it's necessary to save the life of the mother.

Blunt Rochester: You said in 2022 that you're a "Kennedy Democrat" that you support racial justice, labor, etc...just this week Trump shut down all DEI, causing massive fear/confusion/etc among healthcare providers. Yes/no: Do these programs count as "DEI?" --black maternal morality crisis

Kennedy babbles/filibusters. Says there are 7 departments in HHS to address those. Claims that Trump's DEI shutdown has spent $63 million (?) with "no positive impact"

Next: Sen. Husted: Talks about obesity rates/discrepancies at different income levels/etc. He's going after SNAP (presumably for paying for unhealthy foods).

Sorry, I missed most of Kennedy's response on this one. Husted again goes after "subsidizing unhealthy foods" Kennedy: "We already have liasons w/the USDA to work collaboratively with."

Sen. Hickenlooper: Medicare negotiating drug prices, which was finally put thru in 2022 (thanks Biden/Dems!) Yesterday Kennedy said Trump had issued a statement re. lowering drug prices...nowhere did it actually say that Trump would commit to doing so.

Kennedy claims yes, he will. Hickenlooper re. chronic disease: Only 5% of what we spend goes towards prevention. How to deal with that? Kennedy: "Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare should be moved to value-based care"

Hickenlooper re. mifepristone: If there's another study do you commit to preventing any bias? (you've gotta be kidding me) Kennedy: "I commit to letting you review the procedures on any study that we do."

Hickenlooper: Re. vaccines: Re Kennedy's statement about Lyme Disease: If you've only read little bits of 3 books before promoting nonsense aren't you complicit?

Sen. Moody is up: Starts out pushing states rights over the federal government, especially re. "the rights of the unborn." Hoo boy.

Moody: In context of COVID, correctly notes that stuff which didn't use to be political has become politicized (but of course she claims it's Dems/Biden who politicized it). Claims that CDC/FDA/HHS pushing *everyone* to get vaccinated was based on false science etc.

Kennedy claims that "90-95% of Americans" got the first COVID vaccine, but it's down to just ~24% for the latest booster. Note: We never got close to 95%, even for the first shots. It was around 75-80% overall.

Moody claims that 300,000 children were lost over the last four years & Trump will find them (Not sure what this is about...missed the exchange)

Sen. Markey: you claimed your trip to Samoa had nothing to do w/vaccines. (presents evidence that yeah, it had EVERYTHING to do with vaccines). Kennedy: Continues to claim he didn't intend for it to be about vaccines and it just sort of happened (the trip was funded by an anti-vaxx group).

Markey: In Sept. 2019, Samoa had a massive measles outbreak. Kennedy sent a letter to the Samoan gov't BLAMING THE VACCINE FOR THE MEASLES OUTBREAK. 83 Samoans died of measles. "The impact of Kennedy's role was devastating...he scared people into not taking the vaccine."
1h

"They don't want tiny coffins and neither do I." --Sen. Markey re the vast majority of the medical community and 75 nobel prize winning doctors

Sen. Murkowski is up: I care deeply about making sure our vaccines are safe & available (esp. in Alaska)...I'm attracted by the focus on chronic diseases...but in order to make our country healthy, it's *everything.* "We do need to shake somethings up but we also need a level of confidence."

Murkowski: "When there is that much doubt, we're pulling back from our advances on these diseases...we have an outbreak of whooping cough...we fear an outbreak of measles...can't keep going backwards re vaccines. You're clearly an influencer, but you can see how your podium can influence so many."

Murkowski: No one has talked about our Native populations (which have higher disease/health problems than other demographics): You said you'd immediately "triple" the funding for NA/AN tribes, expand on that? Kennedy: Talks about his father & uncle & his own involvement w/the Native American pop

Sen. Alsobrooks: You made it clear that you plan on eliminating professional scientists at the NIH, including a lot of them from Maryland. You plan on replacing "bad" scientists with "good" scientists. Define the difference? Kennedy: Talks about transparency, peer review, etc.

Alsobrooks: "How will you define which scientists are good vs. bad? Do you have a medical degree? Will it be whichever scientists disagree with you?" "Do you have a list of scientists/staff who you would target for termination?" Kennedy: Not that I know of.

Alsobrooks brings up his POTUS campaign fundraising emails again: How much $ have you raised off of attacking HHS staffers? Alsobrooks: Kennedy recently claimed that "We should not be giving black people the same vaccination schedule as we give whites because blacks have a stronger system" (!!!)

Alsobrooks: (paraphrasing) YOU'RE DANGEROUS. FUCK OFF. I'M VOTING AGAINST YOU.

Sen. Collins: (she's "concerned" about something, big surprise): "You said we're gonna give infectious disease a "break" for "about 8 years" Kennedy: "It's the balance...90% of our deaths are via chronic disease, not infectious disease."
1h

Collins: If people are discouraged from getting vaccinated we'll lose our herd immunity...so a child who is immunosuppressed they're at risk of getting infected" Kennedy: "Vaccinations are down to 23% because people don't trust the government...I'll get those rates back up" (????? REALLY???)

Collins: Maine has had a breakout of Lyme disease...3,000 reported cases...there's a new vaccine under development...what would you do re. approval of new vaccines? Kennedy: Everyone in my family has had lyme disease (really?)

Cassidy & Sanders doing wrapup: Cassidy: Do you commit NOT to impound/divert any funding for vaccination programs, new grant conditions to limit vaccines/etc? Kennedy: Yes.

Cassidy: I'm impressed that on many things you're up to date but on other stuff you don't seem to have a clue. Brings up study re. MMR update being hurt specifically by fear/distrust in it causing autism/etc. Cassidy presents yet another study stating unequivocally that no, it doesn't cause autism.

Cassidy: Convince me that you WILL become the public health advocate to make it clear that NO, VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. Kennedy: Show me the studies (and I'll show you my studies)

Cassidy is LITERALLY BEGGING KENNEDY TO JUST ASSURE HIM THAT HE'S PRO-VACCINE AND KENNEDY IS BLOWING IT. I could be crazy but I think Cassidy is gonna vote no.

Sanders: Quotes Kennedy as saying that vaccines cause autism as recently as 2023...citing WAKEFIELD. Puts 16 studies from around the world concluding that vaccines do not cause autism. "Are you happy?" Kennedy still refuses to cave.

Sanders turns to the COVID vaccine: Science says it saved 3 million lives. Kennedy said the COVID vaccine was "the deadliest vaccine ever made." Kennedy: babbles about some study/report from somewhere

Sanders: Re. prescription drugs: 1/4 of Americans can't afford their drugs because of the prices. Biden Admin made some progress. "Do you believe/will you insist that Medicare continue to negotiate drug prices w/phrma as laid out in the IRA?" (specifically talking about the IRA)

Kennedy refuses to commit to enforcing the IRA. I missed some of Sanders speech but he's going back to "our healthcare system is broken" "richest county in the world" etc. I'll ask again: If we want to make America healthy, do you commit to healthcare as a guaranteed right to every American?"

Kennedy: WHOA. Calls Bernie by his first name, accuses him of taking millions of dollars in contributions from PhRMA. Bernie & Kennedy get into a (verbal) fight.

Cassidy shuts down the spat & wraps up the hearing. Cassidy tells a powerful story from his days as a doctor. "If there's any false note or undermining of belief in vaccines, others will die of a vaccine-preventable disease."

Cassidy gives the "with great power comes great responsibility" speech. Cassidy: "That's why I've been struggling with your nomination." Cassidy: "We agree on a bunch of stuff...but the way we approach other stuff is very different"

Cassidy: "So what's it gonna be? Will you use your influence/power to support or to undermine?" "I'm a Republican. I want Trump to succeed. BUT if there's someone who isn't vaccinated because of the policies/attitudes you bring to the office...it'll have a shadow over it."

Cassidy: "So that's my dilemma and you'll be hearing from me over the weekend." Turns it over to Sanders again.

Sanders: What I'm not hearing from Kennedy are some answers on vital issues. I haven't heard about the need for universal healthcare. I haven't heard the answer I need about us not having to pay so much for prescription drugs.

Annnnnnd...that's that. I was half expecting Cassidy to flat-out say that he can't bring himself to vote for Kennedy, but he wriggled out of a definitive statement at the very end. We'll see.