Sen. Bernie Sanders (Iconic, I-Vt.) appears to have endorsed some of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on certain aspects of the health care industry, but still disagrees with some of Kennedy's other health-related views. expressed concerns about the department.
“I think he's absolutely right about the food industry. I think the food industry is concerned about their own profits and not really concerned about the health of the American people,” Sanders said. I think they need to be addressed.” Thursday interview With CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand.
President-elect Trump nominated Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic and environmental lawyer, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last month. The nomination shocked public health experts and raised the possibility that he would interfere with key government agencies, exacerbate vaccine hesitancy, and directly fund government agencies to support his preferred views. I am concerned that there is.
Kennedy has expressed deep skepticism of drug companies and the federal agencies that oversee them. The former independent presidential candidate has previously said federal health regulators are “sock puppets” captive to industry special interests. He has promised to purge the entire Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fight corruption.
Sanders, who holds the top post on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, also voiced criticism of Kennedy. In an interview with CBS News, he called some of Kennedy's proposals “extremely dangerous,” including his views on removing fluoride from public waters and vaccines.
President Kennedy said in an interview with NBC News last month.he won't take away vaccinesFrom people when President Trump takes office in January.
“If the vaccine works for someone, I'm not going to take them away. People should [a] And that choice should be informed by the best information,” he said.
“So I'm going to make sure that the scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there so that people can independently evaluate whether the product is good for them or not,” Kennedy added.
His pledge comes after Trump-Vance transition team co-chairman Howard Lutnick said in an Oct. 30 CNN interview that Kennedy will conduct studies that prove the vaccine is unsafe and ultimately remove it from the market. This was done after he had stated that he wanted to withdraw.
Public health organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have long maintained that vaccines are safe and effective, citing clinical research and real-world data.
Sanders' interview came after a Senate hearing in which he blamed FDA officials for the “terrible epidemic” of obesity and diabetes in the country, according to CBS News.
As reported by CBS News, Sanders said, “Do you think the FDA has created the urgency necessary to address this crisis? No, it hasn't. That's the point I was trying to make today.” said.
Sanders' opinion on Kennedy's views on public health follows similar comments he made in a recent interview with Business Insider, in which he said Kennedy was “right” about America's “unhealthy society.”
“When Kennedy talks about an unhealthy society, he's right,” Sanders told Business Insider. “The number of chronic diseases we have is just extraordinary.”
Sanders also said that while he thinks Kennedy's anti-vaccine stance is “in some ways crazy” and a conspiracy theory, overall “some of the things he's saying are not crazy.”
