Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has assured Republican senators that he will not stand in the way of their key priorities on abortion, highlighting his staunch pro-choice policy. It seems to calm Republican nerves about the view.
President Kennedy, 70, pledged in a number of meetings with senators this week to carry out his conservative goal of reversing Biden administration-era policies on abortion. Meanwhile, other key figures from President-elect Donald Trump are seeking to shore up Republican support.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) told X about his meeting with Kennedy, “We also had a good, detailed discussion about pro-life policies at HHS.'' “He has promised me that he will restore President Trump’s pro-life policies to HHS.”
“He told me that he believed there were too many abortions in the United States and that he could not be the moral leader of the free world with abortion rates this high.”
President Kennedy vowed to reinstate the Mexico City policy banning federal funding to organizations that finance abortions abroad.
The policy has been in a tug-of-war since its inception in the mid-1980s. Since then, Democratic administrations have repealed it and Republican administrations have reimposed it.
Hawley said President Kennedy also made it clear that he supports a ban on Title X funds, a grant program used for family planning, from being used by pro-abortion groups.
Additionally, President Kennedy vowed to repeal the Biden administration's Section 1557 rule, which limits health care discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. when receiving federal funds.
Hawley said the scion also pledged that all members of HHS are pro-life and would reimpose conscience protections on health care providers.
While running for president in 2024, Kennedy expressed a variety of views on abortion.
“I think it should be left to women and the government should not be involved.” He said this on “The Sage Steele Show.” He later clarified, “Even if it's due.''
President Kennedy then explained that he believed “abortion should be unlimited up to a certain point,” and expressed a desire for policies that would “further reduce abortion in the United States through choice rather than coercion.”
Immediately after President-elect Donald Trump announced Kennedy as his HHS nominee, pro-life groups voiced their dismay.
former vice president mike pence blasted his choice This is “an abrupt departure from our administration's pro-life track record and is deeply concerning to the millions of pro-life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our candidates for decades.” It is the right thing to do.”
“The pro-life movement has always looked to the Republican Party to be pro-life and affirm that unborn children have a fundamental right to life that cannot be violated.”
But other senators have similarly indicated that they are less concerned about President Kennedy's views on abortion.
“We talked about abortion. And the important thing about abortion is that no matter what President Trump says, he's telling everyone, listen. [is]I'm going to support him 100%,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told reporters on Tuesday.
Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin (R-Okla.) gave a similar summary of his meeting with Kennedy.
“He said, 'I work at the pleasure of the president of the United States, and what I'm going to put forth is his policy,'” Mullin said. He spoke in detail to the Daily Wire..
“So we may not agree on every issue, but we agree 100%. We shouldn't even have abortions in this world anyway,” he added. “That's fine.”
President Kennedy was scheduled to meet with about 20 senators this week before the Senate goes into recess.
The Kennedy heir had also come under fire for calling for greater scrutiny and transparency of safety standards and for expressing skepticism about vaccinations. But many Republican senators who met with him suggested he was allaying concerns about the vaccine.
On Monday, the Health and Human Services Secretary-designate told reporters that this despite revelations that lawyers working for his campaign had previously tried to revoke the Food and Drug Administration's approval of a polio vaccine. He admitted that he supports the polio vaccine.
Other Trump nominees also met with Republican senators on Tuesday, including Pentagon Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.
Mr. Hegseth has been under fire, and for a while the next nominee appeared to be on life support. Trump's allies put pressure on Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who had concerns about Trump, but she later softened her stance.
Trump-elect Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) was said to have had misgivings about Trump's first pick, former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and asked him to do more research on Hegseth. hinted that he intended to do so.
“I've asked him for references, and I'm actually going to call him, read his book, and listen to his hearing,” Curtis told CNN.
Gabbard also drew some praise from Republicans such as Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
But the Trump world believes at least eight Republican senators are unsure whether they will support her transition proposals. An official told Reuters..
Given the expected 53-47 split in the Senate, Gabbard will only lose at most four votes due to Vice President-elect J.D. Vance's ability to break the tie.
Key swing-vote senators such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are almost certainly holding their cards for now. There is.
