Senate Republicans are preparing to pursue former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pro-choice stance after he was selected by President-elect Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, a former Democrat, has concerned many Senate Republicans over his espoused views on abortion. The former president's campaign reportedly said it believed “it should be left to women and their doctors.”
Kennedy during the summer shared a video “I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted until a certain point,” she wrote on social media.
He suggested that this limit should be “if the baby is viable outside the womb.” Viability is thought to occur around 24 weeks of gestation.
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President Trump's selection of RFK Jr. for HHS has raised concerns among Republicans. (Reuters I, also)
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), an ardent pro-life advocate, told Fox News Digital: “It's going to come up 100 percent in the hearing. There's no question that this is going to be an issue. If not, I will take issue with it.” So does one other person. ”
He explained that his office is compiling a list of “everything the first Trump administration did over its lifetime through HHS.” Because they were very active in this field.
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Lankford is a pro-life advocate. (Reuters)
Lankford pointed to HHS' efforts when citing abortion conscience protections and family planning programs as examples.
“There's a lot of things that they did through HHS during the first Trump administration. So we're compiling that list. That's definitely going to be my list of questions,” he said. .
“There are some things I would like to talk to him about,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
He explained that he wanted to know exactly what RFK Jr.'s standings were – “How far? What month?”
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Mr. Tuberville said he would ask Mr. Kennedy questions. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
HELP Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) said, “We're going to do our due diligence, but I'm sure someone will ask that. Why didn't they do that? Is that so?” he said.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) told FOX News Digital that abortion is a concern when it comes to RFK Jr.
While some Republicans are wary of Trump's selection of HHS, others express confidence that he will act in concert with the administration.
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“I fully expect that some of President Trump's nominees will be as pro-life as President Trump is,” Republican Sen. Ted Budd said.
But, he said, “that needs to be addressed.”
“I believe what he's trying to do is the right thing,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said of RFK Jr.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told FOX News Digital, “He's going to be asked questions, and we're going to see how he answers, and we'll take it from there. ” he said.
Empty recovery area (left) and abortion room at the Arizona Planned Parenthood Center in Tempe, Arizona, June 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Katie Miller, Trump Vance's transition press secretary, told Fox News Digital: “Mr. Kennedy intends to fully support President Trump's policies. This is President Trump's administration, and Robert F. “He has been asked to serve,” he said. And he will implement the policies that Americans overwhelmingly voted for in President Trump's historic victory. ”
The concerns voiced by Senate Republicans come as some conservative and pro-life groups are already sounding the alarm over the HHS selection.
“The nomination of Mr. RFK Jr. to be HHS Secretary is a sudden departure from our administration’s pro-life track record and an invitation to the millions of pro-life people who have supported the Republican Party and our candidates. “I believe this is deeply concerning for the American people over the past several decades,” former Vice President Mike Pence said in a statement from his group American Freedom Advancement last week.
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Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the top pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, expressed her concerns in a statement, saying, “We need a pro-life Secretary of Health and Human Services.'' There's no question about it. Concerns about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
But she signaled confidence in the Trump administration, which supports pro-life values.
“I believe that no matter who becomes Secretary of Health and Human Services, the fundamental policies that President Trump established during his first term will be re-established,” Dannenfelser said.
