美女免费一级视频在线观看

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first round of confirmation hearings in his bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is in the books. 

Appearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, Kennedy was questioned about his views on a host of hot-button healthcare topics, including his controversial views on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid, scientific research and more. 

Throughout the hearing, Kennedy — who has no medical expertise — expressed his views on certain aspects of the American healthcare system, but also largely deferred to President Donald Trump’s agenda on various issues.

The highly-anticipated hearing lasted nearly four hours and was contentious at times, though many consider Kennedy’s support fairly solid among the Republican majority as he heads into a second hearing on Thursday morning. 

Below is a breakdown of the five most important takeaways from Kennedy’s first hearing. 

1. Anti-vax or pro-vaccine safety? 

Kennedy’s long history of questioning vaccines and espousing anti-vaccine rhetoric was dissected by the panel of lawmakers throughout the hearing. 

Senators repeatedly referenced prior reporting on his skepticism — and in some cases hostility — to the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Lawmakers highlighted key passages from his books, past public appearances on podcasts and work on behalf of the Children’s Defense Fund in which he has scrutinized the effectiveness of vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines. 

Just over 12 hours before his confirmation hearing, STAT News published emails between him and his niece, a primary care physician at NYU Health + Hospitals, where he made false claims about COVID shots and again repeated the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. 

He also faced accusations that his anti-vaccine rhetoric and visit to Samoa in 2019 contributed to the subsequent measles outbreak which infected nearly 6,000 people and killed 83 Samoans.

Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-OR), along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), grilled Kennedy for his connection to the Samoan measles outbreak.

The pair claimed he met up with an anti-vaccine influencer and had conversations with government officials about the measles vaccine pause during his visit to the country. 

Kennedy pushed back and reiterated that he had “nothing to do” with Samoans resisting vaccinations. 

He denied responsibility for the deaths of 83 Samoans and insisted that “You cannot find a single Samoan who will say, ‘I didn’t get a vaccine because of Bobby Kennedy.’”

He also pushed back on the broader criticism that he is an anti-vaxxer and affirmed that he supports vaccinations. 

He noted that all of his children are vaccinated, promised to not use his power to deny vaccinations and underscored that he has “no intention” of promoting an anti-vaccine agenda, if confirmed. 

“I support the measles vaccine, and I support the polio vaccine,” he said. “I will do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking either of those vaccines.”

2. Abortion flip flop

Since being nominated to lead HHS, Kennedy has publicly echoed Trump’s pro-life stance on abortion. 

He stood by those comments in his hearing, saying, “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy.”

However, his sentiment received major pushback from Democratic senators. 

Sen. Maggie Hassan, (D-NH), presented Kennedy with examples of prior public statements he had made while visiting the state in which he said the government has no right to tell women what to do with their bodies. 

In addition, he said women should have a right to control over their bodies, including the medical decisions they make.

Hassan questioned Kennedy’s changing position since his nomination, accusing him of giving into Trump’s views. 

“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?” Hassan pressed. 

When it came to the topic of abortion access, Kennedy was unclear about which policies he would enforce. 

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, (D-NV), asked him whether he would uphold the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires hospitals to stabilize patients in life-threatening situations, such as an emergency abortion.

Kennedy replied that he did not know whether he would uphold the law.

When asked about whether he would limit access to mifepristone, a widely popular abortion drug, Kennedy did not comment directly on the access of the drug.

However, he said Trump asked him to look into the safety of the pill, noting that the president has not yet taken a stance on the drug. 

3. Medicaid stumbles

Beyond the most contentious, headline-grabbing topics, Kennedy was asked how he would oversee the Medicaid program. 

Like Trump, Kennedy expressed his criticism of Medicaid, but admitted that it is a “critical program” and that needs to be improved to bolster patient outcomes. 

Still, he struggled to answer questions about the size and scale of the program when questioned by Sen. Ray Lujan, (D-N.M.). 

When pressed about whether he would make cuts to Medicaid if Trump asked him to, Kennedy replied “It’s up to Congress.”

He committed to upholding the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines on diversity in clinical trials, though he did not specify which guidelines he would champion. 

Kennedy also struggled to answer questions around potential Medicaid reform and improvements, telling Sen. Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), that he did not have a “broad proposal for dismantling the program.”

4. Skirting drug pricing 

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) presented a uniquely complicated challenge for Kennedy at the hearing. 

Cortez Masto asked Kennedy for his stance on the law, which allows Medicaid to negotiate drug prices with drugmakers, among other provisions. 

Kennedy largely skirted around questions around the IRA, deferring to Trump’s executive order released earlier in the day — though he admitted he was not fully aware of what the order stated exactly. 

Earlier today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the 15 drugs that the Biden administration proposed for Medicaid price negotiation on January 17. 

Kennedy was separately grilled by Warren about receiving payments from law firm Wisner Baum, where he is co-counsel, for suing vaccine drug companies. 

She claimed Kennedy pocketed $2.5 million in recent years from these lawsuits. 

Warren then asked Kennedy if he would commit to no longer receiving any funds connected to suing drugmakers during his time as HHS secretary as well as for four years after, to which he replied “I’m happy to commit” to that, but only during his time as HHS secretary. 

Warren also pointed out that Kennedy would be able to influence the outcomes of those lawsuits as HHS secretary. 

When pressed again about whether he would take any money from lawsuits against drug companies, Kennedy responded, “I am not going to agree to not sue drug companies”. 

5. Scientific research, funding and transparency

Senators also questioned Kennedy about his approach to scientific facts, public health information and people’s trust in health agencies given that would become the most influential healthcare official in the nation if confirmed. 

Kennedy echoed his prior criticisms of the state of federal health agencies, adding that “the reason why people don’t trust these agencies is because they are untrustworthy.” 

He called for a change in the ways HHS, CMS and other health agencies are run, saying he will push for more transparency regarding information requests as well as review of the way they publish data. 

“We should be completely transparent about raw data,” he said. 

Additionally, Kennedy dodged questions from Sen. Mark Warner, (D-VA) around the current controversy over the freezing federal funds in relation to scientific research and Medicaid payment portals. 

Kennedy also did not say whether he would impose a funding freeze in the future, deferring to the policies of the White House. 

Warner slammed Kennedy for his lack of clarity, stating “I don’t think you approach this job with the knowledge you need.”

To read about RFK Jr.’s second round of confirmation hearings, click here.