Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is uniquely positioned to end America’s “chronic disease epidemic” and pledged to bring “radical transparency” to the Department of Health and Human Services if confirmed as secretary.
The remarks came at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance yesterday.
Republicans mostly welcomed President Donald Trump’s nominee, though he is a former Democrat and longtime supporter of abortion access as an advocate for bodily autonomy.
Democrats portrayed Kennedy as an unscrupulous profiteer who has changed his position on vaccines and abortion in order to gain political power.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said DHS had stonewalled his requests for information on the resettlement of unaccompanied minors entering the country illegally.
Kennedy said he would fully cooperate with Congress’s efforts to obtain information from the DHS.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led the Democrats’ attack.
“Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines,” Wyden said. “It has been lucrative for him, put him on the verge of immense power.”
Democrats didn’t buy Kennedy’s statement that he supports vaccines but merely wants to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Several questioned that in light of some previous statements.
“So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine? Or did you lie on all those podcasts?” Wyden said.
On abortion, Kennedy affirmed that he would follow the administration’s policies.
“I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy. I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year. I agree with him that the states should control abortion,” Kennedy said.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) suggested that he would be a “rubber stamp” for Trump’s agenda.
Kennedy said he was nominated to make America healthy again.
“All of the other disputes we have about who’s paying and whether it’s insurance companies, whether it’s providers, whether it’s HMOs, whether it’s patients or families—all of those are moving deck chairs around on the Titanic. Our ship is sinking,” Kennedy said.
Medicaid spending has skyrocketed in recent years, Kennedy noted, “and no other nation in the world has what we have here. We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world.”
Kennedy will appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions at 10 a.m. today.
—Lawrence Wilson
TRUMP'S PLANS FOR GITMO
After slightly more than a week into the second Trump administration, Wednesday saw a flurry of activity from the White House, including multiple executive orders and a rescission of a memo ordering agencies to suspend federal aid until further review.
The freeze on federal loans, grants, and other financial assistance triggered widespread backlash on Tuesday, including a lawsuit that led to an injunction from a federal judge.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a new memo on Wednesday rescinding the original, but it did not halt the freeze on aid from all federal agencies.
“The Executive Orders issued by the president on funding reviews remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented by all agencies and departments,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Epoch Times.
There was also a group of executive actions signed by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, including a memorandum to prepare Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to house illegal immigrants.
“Today, I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said.
Following the White House event, newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters that the White House is working on utilizing the resources currently available at Guantanamo Bay.
ICE will be running these centers, according to Trump’s border czar Tom Homan.
“There’s already a migrant center there. It’s been there for decades. So we’re just going to expand upon the existing migrant center,” Homan said.
Trump also signed an executive order describing his administration’s plan for America’s 250th Independence Day celebration next year.
The plan would make the holiday “not just one day of celebration, but an entire year of festivities across the nation,” fulfilling one of Trump’s campaign promises, according to a White House fact sheet.
Another executive order is intended to combat the rise of anti-Semitism in the nation, especially on college campuses.
The order would allow the federal government to deport students on U.S. visas that express support for the terrorist group Hamas, which was behind the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians.
The Trump administration said that some students have been “celebrating Hamas’ mass rape, kidnapping, and murder.”
Trump also signed two executive orders affecting K–12 schools, with one threatening to withhold federal funding from any schools that teach critical race theory (CRT) or “gender ideology.”
The other education order seeks to establish universal school choice in the United States, giving states federal money to cover private school tuition or for public schools that students choose to attend outside their district-based assigned school.
In many jurisdictions, students are automatically assigned to specific public schools based on their neighborhood.
“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code,” Trump said in a statement.
“However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students, and teachers.”
Trump added that his order would “rectify that wrong by opening up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.”
—Jacob Burg
BOOKMARKS
Former New York congressman Lee Zeldin will head up the EPA, having passed his Senate confirmation with a vote of 56–42. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he hopes that under Zeldin, the EPA will roll back some of its regulations and not be “a hammer in search of nails.”
A bill criminalizing stolen valor—false claims of military service—has been introduced in Arizona. Among other scenarios, penalties would apply to anyone who uses the claims to gain access to veteran’s benefits or to bolster their reputation while running for office.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is headed to Central America, and his tour of the region will include a stop in Panama. A spokesperson for the State Department said the trip will partly address issues related to undue Chinese influence of the Panama Canal.
Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena is looking forward to four years of working with President Donald Trump’s administration. “I think there are great times ahead of us,” he said, noting that the United States and Paraguay have enjoyed decades of unbroken mutual support and trade.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is locked in a battle with the state’s legislature over two competing immigration reform bills. The Florida House and Senate have passed a bill, but DeSantis says he will veto it, as it is weaker than his own and will ”make Florida a de facto sanctuary state.”
—Stacy Robinson
