Five food to carry the first RFK JR confirmation hearing

The election of President Donald Trump for the Secretary of Health of the United States, Robert F Kennedy JR, was interrogated by the senators at his first confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

The position of Secretary of Health is a key position of the federal government that supervises public health problems, including medical research, food security and public welfare programs.

Kennedy was asked, who had been skeptical of vocal vaccine, to explain his previous comments on the COVID-19 vaccine and other immunizations. He was also asked about his views about abortion and his opinions about the United States food industry.

His audience was interrupted by the protesters shouting, but also received strong applause when he promised that the United States would be healthy again, a slogan used by the new administration.

Here are five conclusions of Kennedy’s first audience.

Throughout the audience, the senators mentioned Kennedy’s previous comments about vaccination.

A group that ran for eight years, the defense of children’s health, repeatedly doubts the safety and effectiveness of children’s vaccines, and continues to press the discredited statement that vaccines cause autism.

Kennedy insisted during the audience that he was not anti -cracuna, and that he simply supports more strict studies and injections safety tests.

He said he supports the current children’s vaccination and insisted that he was not a conspiracy theorist.

“That is a pejorative that applies to avoid making difficult questions about powerful interests,” he told the senators.

However, they concentrated on their previous comments, as an appointment taken from a 2023 podcast when he said: “I think some of the living virus vaccines are probably avoiding more problems than they are causing. There is no vaccine that is safe and effective.”

He defended himself at the audience, saying that his words were taken from context and that he was going to say “for all people.” But, said Kennedy, was interrupted by the host, Lex Fridman, who said: “Those are great words.”

In the podcast interview, Kennedy continued to describe what he called security problems with several common vaccines, including the polyomyelitis vaccine, and then called “inherently insecure” vaccines, apparently citing former President Ronald Reagan.

A key point during Kennedy’s opening comments and throughout the audience was his criticism of processed foods in the United States, which he helps to boost the country’s obesity epidemic.

He promised to analyze chemical additives in food and said he would work to eliminate financial conflicts in US agencies and food industry.

“We will reverse the epidemic of chronic diseases and we will put the nation again on the road to health,” he told the committee.

When asked why he was a great defender of nutrition -based disease prevention, Kennedy said this generation has seen an “explosion” of autoimmune and allergic diseases, as well as diabetes.

He later clarified that he does not want to remove access to processed foods for Americans.

“If you like a hamburger with McDonald’s cheese or a coca -Cola Light, that my boss loves, you should be able to get it,” he said, referring to Trump’s well -known affinity by the US fast food chain.

Kennedy, who previously declared that he was in favor of abortion rights, was asked about his position on the issue of Republican and Democratic senators.

Republican senator James Lankford asked Kennedy if he plans to recover consciousness protections for doctors who do not want to perform the procedure due to religious or moral beliefs.

Kenney responded by saying that forcing medical suppliers who believe that abortion is a murder to carry out the procedure “makes no sense.”

Michael Bennet, a Democratic senator, asked Kennedy about his previous comments, in which he expressed his support for abortion rights and said that governments should not participate in the right of a woman to choose from.

Kennedy began his answer by saying: “I think every abortion is a tragedy.”

He later said that he agreed with Trump that access to abortion should be controlled by individual states. Kennedy promised to put aside his most liberal points, saying: “I serve at the president’s pleasure. I will implement his policies.”

This position caused the scrutiny of the Democrats, including Senator Maggie Hassan, who accused Kennedy of “selling” his probortist values ​​to ensure the nomination of President Trump.

Kennedy was asked by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a defender of universal health for a long time, if he believes that the United States should “guarantee medical care to all people as a human right.”

He answered saying that he cannot answer the question so simply.

Kennedy raised a hypothetical situation of a 20 -year -old cigarette smoker with lung cancer, then reflected on whether that individual should have the same access to medical care as someone who does not smoke.

The smoker, said Kennedy, would be “taking the pool,” referring to the general medical care costs.

Then, Sanders criticized the pharmaceutical industry, saying that in the US patients they pay more than people in European countries for the same drugs. He asked Kennedy if he was willing to “finish that absurd.”

Kennedy replied: “We should finish that disparity.”

Later, Sanders asked if he supports baby clothing with anti -vaccinous slogans. Some are sold by Children’s Health Defense, the organization that Kennedy founded.

“Are you supporting these oonsies?” Sanders asked Kennedy, showing images of them to the rest of the committee.

Kennedy replied that he has no supervision of the organization and resigned from his position there.

As is typical, the nature and tone of the questions often differ depending on the side of the political hall they came from.

The Democratic senators interrogated him largely in their past anti -cacamic comments, their promotion of erroneous information in health problems and their knowledge of the United States health system, including Medicare and Medicaid.

However, some Republicans focused their questions about Kennedy’s defense to eradicate chronic disease in children and their criticisms of the United States food industry.

A particular Republican senator, Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, said Kennedy was the “response to his prayers” and that he was “incredible.”

Johnson himself has been criticized for erroneous anti-cacuna information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the procedures ended, the Republican Senator and president of the Finance Committee, Mike Crapo, gave Kennedy his approval stamp.

“I think you have had a good time and you deserve to be confirmed,” he told Kennedy.

Democratic senator Ron Wyden, on the other hand, accused Kennedy of delivering a “word salad” and bucking problems about his previous anti -cacamal comments.

“I think his presentation is not reliable and not prepared,” Wyden said.

Wednesday’s audience was before the Senate Finance Committee. Kennedy faces a second confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, where he will face more questions from senators.

The committees will vote on their nomination before the entire Senate can pass for consideration.