Five takeaways from RFK Jr's first confirmation hearing

President Donald Trump's prime for US wellness secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, was questioned by senators astatine his archetypal confirmation proceeding connected Wednesday.

The station of wellness caput is simply a cardinal national authorities presumption that oversees nationalist wellness issues, including aesculapian research, nutrient information and nationalist payment programmes.

Kennedy, who had been a vocal vaccine sceptic, was asked to explicate his past comments connected the Covid-19 vaccine and different immunisations. He besides was asked astir his views connected abortion, and his opinions connected the US nutrient industry.

His proceeding was interrupted by shouting protesters, but helium besides received large applause erstwhile helium promised helium would marque America steadfast again, a slogan utilized by the caller administration.

Here are 5 takeaways from Kennedy's archetypal hearing.

Throughout the hearing, senators brought up Kennedy's past comments astir vaccination.

A radical helium ran for 8 years, Children's Health Defense, repeatedly formed uncertainty connected the information and efficacy of puerility vaccinations, and continues to propulsion the debunked assertion that vaccines origin autism.

Kennedy insisted during the proceeding that helium was not anti-vaccine, and that helium simply supports much stringent studies and information tests for injections.

He said helium supports the existent puerility vaccination docket and insisted helium was not a conspiracy theorist.

"That's a pejorative that's applied to maine to support maine from asking hard questions astir almighty interests," helium told senators.

However, they zeroed successful connected his past comments, specified arsenic a punctuation taken from a 2023 podcast erstwhile helium said: "I deliberation immoderate of the unrecorded microorganism vaccines are astir apt averting much problems than they're causing. There's nary vaccine that is harmless and effective."

He defended himself astatine the hearing, saying his words were taken retired of discourse and that helium was going to spell connected to accidental "for each people". But, Kennedy said, helium was interrupted by the host, Lex Fridman, who said: "Those are large words".

In the podcast interview, Kennedy went connected to outline what helium called information problems with respective communal vaccines, including the polio vaccine, and aboriginal called vaccines "inherently unsafe", seemingly quoting erstwhile President Ronald Reagan.

A cardinal constituent made by Kennedy during his opening remarks and passim the proceeding was his disapproval of processed foods successful the US, which helium said assistance thrust the country's obesity epidemic.

He promised to scrutinise chemic additives successful food, and said helium would enactment to region the fiscal conflicts of involvement successful US agencies and the nutrient industry.

"We volition reverse the chronic illness epidemic and enactment the federation backmost connected the roadworthy to health," helium told the committee.

Asked wherefore helium was a large advocator of nutrition-based illness prevention, Kennedy said that this procreation has seen an "explosion" successful autoimmune and allergic diseases, arsenic good arsenic diabetes.

He aboriginal clarified that helium does not privation to instrumentality distant entree to processed nutrient for Americans.

"If you similar a McDonald's cheeseburger oregon a Diet Coke - which my brag loves - you should beryllium capable to get them," helium said, referencing Trump's well-known affinity for the American fast-food chain.

Kennedy, who antecedently stated that helium was successful favour of termination rights, was asked astir his stance connected the contented by some Republican and Democratic senators.

Republican Senator James Lankford asked Kennedy whether helium plans to bring backmost conscience protections for doctors who bash not privation to transportation retired the process due to the fact that of their spiritual oregon motivation beliefs.

Kenney responded by saying that forcing aesculapian providers who judge termination is execution to transportation retired the process "doesn't marque immoderate sense".

Michael Bennet, a Democratic senator, past asked Kennedy astir his past comments, successful which helium expressed enactment for termination rights and said that governments should not beryllium progressive with a woman's close to choose.

Kennedy started his effect by saying: "I judge each termination is simply a tragedy."

He aboriginal said helium agreed with Trump that entree to termination should beryllium controlled by idiosyncratic states. Kennedy vowed to enactment his much wide views aside, saying, "I service astatine the pleasance of the president. I'm going to instrumentality his policies."

This stance drew scrutiny from Democrats, including legislator Maggie Hassan, who accused Kennedy of "selling out" his pro-choice values successful bid to unafraid President Trump's nomination.

Kennedy was asked by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a long-time advocator of cosmopolitan healthcare, whether helium believes the US should "guarantee healthcare to each radical arsenic a quality right."

He responded by saying helium cannot reply the question truthful simply.

Kennedy posed a hypothetical concern of a 20-year cigaret smoker with lung cancer, past pondered whether that idiosyncratic should person the aforesaid healthcare entree arsenic idiosyncratic who does not smoke.

The smoker, Kennedy said, would beryllium "taking from the pool", referencing wide wellness attraction costs.

Sanders past criticised the pharmaceutical industry, saying that the US pays much than countries successful Europe for the aforesaid drugs. He asked Kennedy if helium was consenting to "end that absurdity."

Kennedy responded by saying: "We should extremity that disparity".

Later, Sanders asked whether helium supports babe apparel bearing anti-vaccine slogans. Some are sold by Children's Health Defense, the organisation that Kennedy founded.

"Are you supportive of these onesies?" Sanders asked Kennedy, showing images of them to the remainder of the committee.

Kennedy responded that helium has nary oversight of the organisation and resigned from his presumption there.

As is typical, the quality and code of the questions often differed depending connected which broadside of the governmental aisle they were coming from.

Democratic senators mostly grilled him connected his past anti-vaccine comments, his promotion of misinformation successful narration to wellness issues, and his cognition connected cardinal aspects of the US healthcare strategy similar Medicare and Medicaid.

Some Republicans, however, focused their questions connected Kennedy's advocacy for eradicating chronic illness successful children and his disapproval of the US nutrient industry.

One Republican legislator successful particular, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said that Kennedy was the "answer to his prayers," and that helium was "awesome".

Johnson himself has been criticised implicit anti-vaccine misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wednesday's proceeding was conducted earlier the Senate's concern committee. Kennedy faces a 2nd confirmation proceeding connected Thursday earlier the health, education, labour and pensions committee, wherever helium volition look much questions from senators.

The committees volition past ballot connected his information earlier it tin walk to the full Senate for consideration.