Republican senators have increasingly raised concerns about the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his dangerous views over lifesaving vaccine programs. RFK Jr. has said “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and he helped fuel a devastating measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, mostly infants and children. Donald Trump recently said he would discuss ending childhood vaccination programs with RFK Jr. Additionally, one of RFK Jr.’s top transition team advisors openly called for the FDA to revoke the polio vaccine’s approval. More and more Republicans are becoming concerned about the dire ramifications of an RFK Jr.-led HHS, including top Republican leadership.
What Republican Senators Are Saying:
- Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued a warning to Robert F. Kennedy saying, “Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts [revoking the polio vaccine’s approval]… Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous.” [CBS News, 12/13/24]
- Senator Mike Rounds said in an interview, “Look, I believe in vaccines. I think they’ve saved millions of lives… If he has a different point of view, then he’ll have to explain them to us.” [The Washington Post, 11/20/24]
- Senator John Cornyn stated it clearly when asked about his concerns with RFK Jr.’s vaccine stances, “I realize Covid got to be pretty controversial, but vaccinations are an important part of our public health, starting with the requirement that kids get vaccinations before they go to school.” [Politico, 12/10/24]
- Senator Lisa Murkowski told the Independent explicitly, “I happen to believe particularly childhood vaccines are something really important… As a parent, I want to make sure that I protect my kids from measles or mumps or rubella or whatever it is…” [The Independent, 11/23/24]
- A former top staffer told Axios that Senator Bill Cassidy is “balancing what’s good for his reelection against his health care expertise, including what Kennedy would do if there is another pandemic… When asked if he thought the 2026 race would impact how Cassidy approaches Kennedy, [Mitt] Romney said, ‘I don’t think in his case, no.’” [Axios, 12/6/24]
- Senator Roger Marshall, an OB/GYN, chose not to answer a question on whether RFK Jr.’s promotion of health misinformation would affect his support for the HHS nominee, instead saying, “I think it’s a long answer, and I’m late for a meeting, so I’m not going to give you an answer.” [The Independent, 11/23/24]
What Health Experts Are Saying
- A group of 77 Nobel laureates signed a letter urging Congress to reject RFK Jr. stating, “The leader of [HHS] should continue to nurture and improve – not threaten – these highly respected institutions and their employees… placing Mr Kennedy in charge of [HHS] would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in health sciences, in both public and commercial sectors.” [The Guardian, 12/10/24]
- James Hodge, a public health law expert at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, put RFK Jr.’s potential reign over HHS succinctly in an interview stating, “The litany of things that will start to topple is profound… We’re going to experience a seminal change in vaccine law and policy.” [North Carolina Health News, 12/14/24]
- The executive director of the American Public Health Association, Georges Benjamin, has warned that RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine will harm children the most saying, “The reason we think Mr. Kennedy is the wrong guy for the Secretary of Health and Human Services is we do not think that somebody who has been the source of so much death and disability amongst the nation’s children should have any seed of prominence in the health world.” [The Hill, 12/14/24]
- Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned that a Kennedy-run HHS disincentivizing or creating barriers to vaccine access “will cost lives in this country… For every 1,000 cases of measles that occur in children, there will be one death.” [Reuters, 12/12/24]
What Republican’s Constituents Are Saying
- Brent Sherard, the former director of the Wyoming Department of Health and a constituent of John Barrasso expressed his frustration with any support for RFK in a letter to the editor stating, “In a recent political ad, Dr. Barrasso proudly claims to be “Wyoming’s Doctor.” If he truly holds that title, why would he support someone like RFK Jr., who has consistently spread misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines… The stakes are too high to endorse someone who could potentially undermine our entire vaccination program.” [Cowboy State Daily, 11/26/24]
- George Bishop Jr. lives in Louisiana and is represented by two Republican Senators. He writes about the RFK Jr. nomination, “RFK Jr. has no experience or expertise in health care, medicine or public policy, but he does have opinions not tied to real data. His appointment reflects Trump’s lack of concern for the American people, who he repeatedly told that the COVID virus would just go away. It hasn’t, and a key reason is low vaccination rates by people who listen to RFK Jr. and Donald Trump.” [New Orleans Advocate, 12/16/24]