RFK Jr. Courts Republicans in Effort to Secure Top Health Job

(Bloomberg) — 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 tapped Kennedy, a leader of the anti-vaccine movement and pharmaceutical industry critic, to serve as secretary of HHS in mid-November. The pick 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, paving 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 are meeting with Kennedy on Monday, according to spokespeople for the lawmakers’ offices. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, who also serves as the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, will also be speaking with him this 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 only lose three Republican votes. 

Kennedy is poised to meet with more than two-dozen senators, according to Politico, which first reported news of the meetings set to take place on Capitol Hill this week. A spokesperson for Kennedy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In order to help get Kennedy through the nomination process, several Republicans are seeking concessions focused on vaccination and abortion, according to a person familiar with the matter.

On vaccination, some of the Republican senators want more clarity on his positions, the person said. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has no background in health care or medicine, has spread misinformation about vaccination, including the discredited assertion that vaccines cause autism, though he recently suggested he “won’t take away anybody’s vaccines.” The lawmakers are interested in understanding how broadly his focus on vaccination will extend, the person said. 

Meanwhile on abortion, the Republican senators want assurances that Kennedy will roll back Biden-era abortion protections, particularly around the federal Title X family planning program, which under the current administration has allowed abortion referrals and the inclusion of providers that offer abortion services; the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act; and the expansion of certain care through Medicaid waivers.

Some members of the Republican party have already aired concerns about his positions on vaccination and abortion. Former Vice President Mike Pence asked Senate republicans to reject Kennedy’s nomination due to his position on abortion. 

The meetings come after Kennedy joined Trump for dinner earlier this month with Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla and Eli Lilly & Co. Chief Executive Officer David Ricks. They talked for nearly three hours, and discussed potential public-private partnerships, Axios reported, sending shares of the two companies to session highs. Stephen Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, was also present, the industry trade group confirmed.

Trump’s pick of Kennedy to lead HHS has increased pressure on the industry. He’s raised questions about the safety of vaccines and over-reliance on medication rather than healthy living to combat chronic disease.

“We congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his victory and look forward to working with him to build on the successes from his first administration,” Ubl said in a statement on Nov. 6, shortly after Election Day. He added that Trump had reined in “abuses” by pharmacy-benefit managers, a longstanding target of the pharmaceutical industry. 

The Trump transition team didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

–With assistance from Antonia Mufarech and Gerry Smith.

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