Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is President-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not immediately support him. , after meeting with him on Wednesday.
cassidy I wrote it on social platform X He said he and Kennedy had a “candid conversation” and talked “at length” about the vaccine.
After the meeting, Cassidy told reporters briefly that he had talked about “all combinations of vaccines,” but declined to provide further details after the nearly hour-long meeting.
Cassidy, a doctor, said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that he thought Kennedy was “wrong” about vaccines, but said he agreed with Kennedy on some areas, such as eliminating ultra-processed foods. He pointed out that there is.
President Kennedy has a long history of being anti-vaccine, promoting the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism.
President Kennedy said he doesn't want to take the vaccine away from anyone, he just wants more safety and effectiveness data available to the public.
President Kennedy is visiting the Capitol this week for a second meeting with senators, including some Democrats on the HELP Committee, which oversees the Department of Health and Human Services.
Mr. Cassidy's comments were far more lukewarm than some of the enthusiastic responses Mr. Kennedy received from other Senate Republicans last month. That includes staunch conservatives who are close allies of Mr. Trump and most likely to oppose Mr. Kennedy's previous positions in support of abortion rights.
But after meeting with the former Democratic presidential candidate, they showed no hesitation.
President Kennedy said only that the meeting was “good.”
Mr. Cassidy is one of several Republicans targeted by advocacy groups opposed to Mr. Kennedy. Even if all Democrats opposed him, Kennedy would only lose three Republican votes.
Separately from Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Kennedy also met on Wednesday with the leaders of the HELP Committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D.H.).
Mr. Sanders and Mr. Hassan serve on the Senate Finance Committee. The HELP Committee will hold the hearing for Mr. Kennedy, but the actual confirmation hearing and vote will take place in the Finance Committee.
A public hearing is expected to be scheduled soon.
After speaking with Sanders, Kennedy said he “couldn't say” whether Sanders would support him.
Asked if he and Sanders could work together to lower prescription drug prices, Kennedy said, “I think everyone wants prescription drug prices to go down.”
