Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is meeting with Republican senators who are seeking to better understand his views on abortion and vaccine policy as he courts their support this week for his nomination to the top role at the Department of Health and Human Services.
President-elect Donald Trump chose Kennedy, a leader of the anti-vaccine movement and pharmaceutical industry critic, to serve as secretary of HHS in mid-November. The announcement drew criticism from public health experts and some Democrats and Republicans. It also sent shares of vaccine-makers spiraling.
Kennedy’s meetings with Republicans on key Senate committees are slated to run throughout the week, clearing the way for the expected contentious confirmation hearings that will make or break his path into Trump’s cabinet.
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Senator Rick Scott of Florida met with Kennedy on Monday.
After the meeting, Mullin said he planned to vote for him and that Kennedy “supports the polio vaccine one hundred percent.” The New York Times reported last week that a Kennedy adviser had demanded the revocation of a polio vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, also plan to speak with Kennedy his week, according to their spokespeople, who didn’t provide more specific detail on timing.
In order to gain the nation’s top health job, Kennedy must win over the Finance Committee and then prevail in a vote of the full chamber. If all Senate Democrats ultimately vote against his confirmation, he can lose just three Republican votes.
Bloomberg's Laura Davison and Michael Dorning discuss the issue with Kailey Leinz and Michael Shephard on Bloomberg's "Balance of Power."
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