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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will search allay any skepticism on his confirmation this week as he begins meetings with Senate Republicans on his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Kennedy is one of the most prominent names Trump has thrown around for his cabinet, which has also featured battles around Pete Hegseth. nomination to lead the Pentagonand the selection of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) a run a key intelligence office.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Trump’s initial pick for attorney general, withdrew from consideration amid GOP displeasure.
While Kennedy was initially considered one of the more controversial choices, there has been little public criticism from Senate Republicans. GOP sources believe she is in solid shape overall and has a less rocky road to confirmation than Hegseth and Gabbard.
“He’s in a good place. You haven’t really heard a lot of consternation about his nomination in the last few weeks,” a GOP Senate aide told The Hill, adding that they expect Kennedy’s focus to be on his priorities “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) and reassure Republicans that he still does not support abortion.
“If this turns out to be true, I think he’s going to be on a slippery slope to being confirmed,” the aide added.
Kennedy’s planned meetings include one with GOP health care staff on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, according to a familiar source. It’s a regular precursor to his meeting with the panel’s incoming chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).
Cassidy, one of three Republican senators who voted to convict Trump on a charge of impeachment, has said little publicly about Kennedy when asked, only that he wants to let the confirmation process play out. When Kennedy was nominated, Cassidy noted in a statement that he “has championed issues like healthy food and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure.”
Opposition to Kennedy centers primarily on his policy positions, many of which run counter to traditional GOP orthodoxy. He has a long history of questioning vaccines and has promoted the disproven idea that vaccines cause autism.
Kennedy argues that the rise in chronic disease in the United States can be attributed to ultra-processed foods, environmental toxins and chemical additives. He wants to ban fluoridated water and increase access to raw milk.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he wants to talk to Kennedy about genetically modified foods, a key issue for farmers.
“You can’t feed 9 billion people on the face of this earth if you don’t take advantage of genetic engineering,” Grassley said.
During the presidential campaign, Kennedy said he wants to eliminate genetically modified crops and pesticides.
Grassley, who represents corn-rich Iowa, may also have arguments with Kennedy over high-fructose corn syrup, a widely used product in the U.S. food industry that has been criticized as a of obesity
“I may have to spend a lot of time educating him about farming,” Grassley said of Kennedy last monthaccording to The New York Times.
Some Republicans also have questions for Kennedy about his pro-abortion stance and how it would affect how he runs HHS.
“I’m going to talk about real life issues,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) “The first HHS under President Trump was very intentional in this area. President Biden was very intentional in ‘expand access to abortion through federal agencies, so (the question is) what is their plan? What are they choosing to do about it?
“I think it will be important to be able to listen,” he added.
When he launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat, Kennedy approved a ban on abortion after the first trimester, but then quickly backtracked. He also suggested that he was opposed to banning abortion before fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy.
On his campaign website, Kennedy says he is “a strong supporter of the principles established 50 years ago in Roe v. Wade” and that “if the courts do not overturn Dobbs v. Jackson and restore abortion rights, will support legislation to achieve the same.”
Republicans will have a 53-47 seat majority next year, so Kennedy will have a small cushion if he faces Republican opposition. But it remains to be seen whether any Democrats will ultimately vote to confirm him.
Despite his concerns with the former presidential candidate, some of Kennedy’s views on food policy and nutrition align closely with Democrats.
“Our food, nutrition connections, like the SNAP program. Some of the worst, most unhealthy foods are the most consumed,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). “I think there’s some common ground (there). I’m not sure I want to rip it all up and destroy it, but I definitely see reform being appropriate.”
During a recent HELP Committee hearing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and others took issue with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf over the agency’s lax regulation of ultra-processed foods , which is a key part of Kennedy’s health agenda.
“For decades, Congress and the FDA have allowed big corporations to make huge profits by enticing children and adults to consume ultra-processed foods and beverages loaded with sugar, salt and saturated fat,” Sanders said.
But while several Senate Democrats indicated they are more than willing to sit down with Kennedy in deference to the confirmation process, none offered much praise.
“Yes, of course,” Hickenlooper said when asked if he hopes to meet with Kennedy.
“To be clear, I would like to meet with him,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Wyden, who is the chairman of the Finance Committee, added that none of the other Democrats on the committee have asked to speak about Kennedy. The Finance Committee will hold a hearing and vote on Kennedy’s confirmation next year with a new Republican majority.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he is “very open” to meeting with Kennedy, but noted that it probably won’t be until next week, as the Senate’s most pressing business, including the national defense authorization and a provisional solution. package of expenses, must be dealt with before the Christmas holidays.
“I’ll have to dig into it to find out,” Kaine said of possible commonalities between them. “I mean, I have some concerns about some of his positions on vaccines and whatnot. Is it an ideological thing or is it based on science? But that’s more general.”
Other Democrats were less charitable.
“I think it’s a ridiculous choice,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). “It was a reward, pure and simple. They didn’t pick him because he’s qualified. He was elected because Donald Trump wanted his support for president, and he gave him everything he wanted.”
