{"id":124516,"date":"2025-01-29T18:04:35","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T18:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/live-updates-rfk-jr-defends-vaccine-stance-as-protesters-disrupt-confirmation-hearing-bbc-com\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T18:04:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T18:04:35","slug":"live-updates-rfk-jr-defends-vaccine-stance-as-protesters-disrupt-confirmation-hearing-bbc-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/live-updates-rfk-jr-defends-vaccine-stance-as-protesters-disrupt-confirmation-hearing-bbc-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Live updates: RFK Jr defends vaccine stance as protesters disrupt confirmation hearing – BBC.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump's US health secretary pick, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is being grilled by senators at his confirmation hearing
You can watch the hearing live <\/b>at the top of this page
RFK Jr, who has been a vocal vaccine sceptic<\/a>, tells the hearing he is pro-vaccine<\/a>. He also defends previous comments he has made on the issue
The hearing has been interrupted twice already by shouting protesters<\/a>
RFK Jr received a loud applause when he promised to make America healthy<\/a> again. Some public health experts have praised his stance on combatting unhealthy eating and ultra-processed food
If his nomination is ratified, he will lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees everything from food safety to medical research
The executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA) previously said the organisation would "absolutely oppose" Kennedy's nomination<\/a>; Trump has said he trusts RFK Jr to "make America great and healthy again"
Edited by Adam Durbin, Brandon Livesay and Sam Hancock with Rachel Looker reporting from Capitol Hill
RFK Jr has faced a grilling from a number of senators during a confirmation hearing to become Donald Trump's health secretary.
With questions now resuming after a short break, here's a few things we've learnt so far:
That short break was true to its name.
We're back and will continueto bring you the key lines from RFK Jr's confirmation hearing, as he hopes to become President Trump's health secretary.
Remember, you can watch it live at the top of this page<\/b>.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Rachel Looker<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
We've been told to enjoy a five-minute bathroom break.
RFK Jr exits the room to cheers of "We love you!", as well as loud applause from members of the audience.
There are just a handful of senators left to question Kennedy when we return. Stick with us.
Marsha Blackburn, a Republican senator, tells RFK Jr she has "no doubt" that he will be confirmed as US health secretary and that he will do "such a solid job" for Americans.
She asks for commitments on rural healthcare, which RFK Jr agrees is "in crisis".
Asked specifically about area wage index – which indicates an area's average hourly wage to the national equivalent – RFK Jr says he will work with Blackburn to make regional price points "sensible".
The pair turn to overmedicating young people, with RFK Jr citing ADHD and depression medication statistics.
He wants more community health initiatives, better food and exercise promoted to help the situation, he says.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Rachel Looker<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
Senator Sanders – a Democrat – is demanding an answer from Kennedy on whether he supports baby clothes bearing anti-vaccine slogans.
Some are sold by the Children's Health Defense, an organisation Kennedy founded, Sanders says.
"Are you supportive of these onesies?" Sanders asks Kennedy.
Kennedy responds that he has no oversight of the organisation and resigned from his position there.
"Are you supportive of these onesies?" Sanders pushes back, raising his voice.
The exchange draws laughter and some applause from the audience.
We're continuing to bring you the key lines from RFK Jr's confirmation hearing, as he hopes to become President Trump's health secretary. You can <\/i>watch it live at the top of this page<\/b><\/i>.
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, a longtime advocate of universal health care, now asks RFK Jr for a simple yes-or-no response to whether the US should "guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right".
RFK Jr says he can't answer the question so simply – and goes on to pose the hypothetical situation of a 20-year cigarette smoker getting lung cancer and whether they should have the same access to healthcare as someone who doesn't smoke. The smoker would be "taking from the pool," he says.
Sanders then goes on to criticise the pharmaceutical industry, saying that the US pays more for the same drugs than Europe, and asks RFK Jr if he's willing to "end that absurdity".
RFK Jr replies: "We should end that disparity."
Next up, Republican Senator Thom Tillis asks RFK Jr if he's a "conspiracy theorist", to which Trump's nominee responds:
"That's a pejorative that's applied to me to keep me from asking difficult questions about powerful interests."
RFK Jr says he was labelled a conspiracy theorist because he said the Covid-19 vaccines "didn't prevent transmission and wouldn't prevent infection" when the government "was telling people that it would".
There's more now from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who continues on the theme of vaccine scepticism – listing all the ways RFK Jr may be able to influence lawsuits if he is confirmed in this role.
She says this includes the potential to publish anti-vaccine conspiracies on paper with government letterheads, and changing vaccine labelling and information rules.
RFK Jr says, if confirmed as US health secretary, he will comply with all the guidelines – but Warren cuts in to say Kennedy would be able to "kill access to vaccines" and "make millions" while he does it.
He says the only thing he wants is "good science".
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, says she has an "easy question" for RFK Jr and asks if he will commit to not take money from big pharmaceutical companies.
Among several tense moments, RFK Jr appears to relish the question by smiling and replying: "Yes."
"I don't think any of them want to give me money," he says with a chuckle.
But it then turns into a fiery back-and-forth as they both speak over the top of each other.
Warren says RFK Jr profits from partnering with a company that recruits people to sue vaccine makers.
She asks if he agrees that he "won't take any compensation from any lawsuits against drug companies while you are secretary, and for four years afterwards".
"You're asking me to not sue drug companies? No, I'm not going to agree," he says.
Sitting behind RFK Jr, and next to his actress wife Cheryl Hines, is a well known media personality – Megyn Kelly.
Kelly, formerly of Fox News, hosts her own podcast.
On Tuesday, she said:
"I would like to take a peek at what they do to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. I feel like this show and he have somewhat of a special relationship… I'll be down there tomorrow supporting him and watching to see what they throw at him."
Sitting behind Robert F Kennedy Jr at today's hearing is his wife, actress Cheryl Hines. Hines starred in HBO's satire Curb Your Enthusiasm.
When her husband suspended his campaign for president, she wrote on X: "I deeply respect the decision Bobby made to run on the principle of unity".
Hines said the experience showed the "vast majority of all parties are truly good people who want the best for our country and for each other" and called it an "eye-opening, transformative, and endearing journey".
RFK Jr gets a lot of heat for some of his more extreme positions, such as suggesting Wi-fi causes cancer, but his views on changing how Americans eat and drink have been more widely accepted.
His failed presidential campaign ran on a slogan of "Make America Healthy Again" and saw him advocate for eliminating ultra-processed foods – like frozen pizzas and sugary breakfast cereals – which are linked to health problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
As US health secretary, RFK Jr would be in a position to enact some of his desired changes around how Americans eat.
And those positions – including reforming the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – have found support from health experts<\/a>, lawmakers and concerned consumers alike, including some Democrats.
Last year, Colorado\u2019s Democratic Governor Jared Polis wrote on social media, welcoming Kennedy's nomination, that "Kennedy will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA".
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Rachel Looker<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
Kennedy just received some of the loudest applause he's received throughout this hearing – so far.
"President Trump has asked me to end the chronic disease epidemic and make America healthy again," he says during an exchange with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada.
His family and friends, as well as some members of the public, cheer him on.
"President Trump has asked me because I'm in a unique position to end that and that is what I'm doing," he continues – going on to say there's an "existential threat" to the country's sense of wellbeing.
"It is a priority for President Trump and that's why he asked me to run the agency and if I'm privileged to be confirmed, that's exactly what I'll do," he says – at which point there's more loud applause.
This feels like a standout moment for Trump's pick to be health secretary.
By Shayan Sardarizadeh<\/b>
Robert F Kennedy Jr has repeatedly stated widely debunked claims about vaccinations.
One of his main false claims – repeated in a 2023 interview with Fox News – is that "autism comes from vaccines".
This theory was first popularised by discredited UK doctor Andrew Wakefield and has since become the main centrepiece of baseless theories made by anti-vaccine advocates around the world.
Multiple studies since, across many countries, have concluded there is no link between vaccines and autism.
Dr David Elliman, a consultant in community child health at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said RFK Jr has perpetuated myths around vaccination with "an utter disregard for the evidence".
Kennedy has repeatedly denied that he is anti-vaccine and insists he wants to improve the science on vaccine safety which he believes has "huge deficits".
We're continuing to bring you the key lines from RFK Jr's confirmation hearing, as he hopes to become President Trump's health secretary. You can <\/i>watch it live at the top of this page<\/i><\/b>.
Next up, Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan turns to reproduction rights and RFK Jr's previous claims that he's pro-choice.
As she speaks, a sign quoting RFK Jr speaking about reproductive rights appears behind her – it says: "We need to trust the women to make that choice, because I don't trust government to make any choices. Well, particularly when it comes to bodily autonomy".
She asks RFK Jr when he decided to "sell out" on his pro-choice values in order to be given power by President Trump, to which he says he agrees with Trump that "every abortion is a tragedy".
Hassan accuses RFK Jr of being willing to go against science and his own values if Trump tells him to do so, calling it "unacceptable".
Republican Senator Steve Daines is up next and turns to agriculture – he asks RFK Jr to commit to collaborate with the USDA (US Department of Agriculture), relevant federal agencies, farmers and ranchers before implementing policies that may affect food supply.
RFK Jr says he can "absolutely" make that commitment, and that he doesn't want a single farmer to leave their farm for economic, regulatory or bureaucratic reasons under his watch.
As we've been reporting this morning, RFK Jr is currently answering questions as part of his confirmation to become the US's health secretary.
The hearing has not gone uninterrupted – as this video shows:
This video can not be played
Republican Senator James Lankford, asking RFK Jr questions now, asks whether President Trump's pick for health secretary plans to bring back conscience protections for doctors who don't want to carry out abortions.
RFK Jr says forcing medical providers, who believe abortion is murder, to carry out the procedure "doesn't make any sense".
Lankford then asks if he will change the FDA policy on abortion drug mifepristone – the first of the two-pill regimen recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end a pregnancy – which he says isn't transparent about its side effects.
Trump has made it clear he's not taking a detailed position on the drug, RFK Jr says, but he adds that the president wants him to look at any safety issues.
Another Democratic senator is asking questions now. Michael Bennet accuses RFK Jr of peddling misinformation and half truths, before asking him a series of questions about his past statements.
Bennet:<\/b>Did you say Lyme disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon? <\/i>
RFK Jr:<\/b>I probably did say that<\/i>
Bennet: <\/b>Did you say that exposure to pesticides causes children to become transgender?<\/i>
RFK Jr <\/b>denies saying this.
Bennet <\/b>then asks RFK Jr about his comments on abortion: Did you say on a podcast that we should not leave abortion to the state, we should leave it to women?<\/i>
Kennedy <\/b>begins to the answer the question; Bennet <\/b>presses him to give a yes or no answer.
The committee then moves on to the next question.
\u00a9 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.<\/a><\/p>\n

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