RFK Jr.’s Nomination Hearing Set for Jan. 29

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for a meeting in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Dec. 17, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The nomination hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will take place on Jan. 29, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced on Jan. 22.

The committee has jurisdiction over tax, health care, and trade issues.

When naming his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump cited Kennedy’s goal to ensure that America is a healthy country.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health,” Trump posted on Truth Social in November 2024.

“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country.”

Trump went on to say that Kennedy will restore health agencies “to the traditions of gold-standard scientific research, and beacons of transparency, to end the chronic disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Kennedy’s hearing will likely consist of questions pertaining to his stances on abortion and vaccines.

During his presidential campaign, which ended in August 2024 when he endorsed Trump, Kennedy said the government should stay out of the issue of abortion.

“I’ve been arguably one of the leading people in this country for medical freedom and bodily autonomy,” he said. “I don’t trust government to have jurisdiction over people’s bodies.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s group, Advancing American Freedom, announced on Jan. 22 that it was launching a six-figure campaign to sink Kennedy’s nomination.

“His record raises serious concerns for pro-life Americans. We need leadership that defends life and protects the most vulnerable—not radical policies that undermine our values,” the group posted on X.

Kennedy said the Ukraine-Russia war, free speech, and what he called “a war on our children” were the reasons behind his eventually endorsing Trump, who had once called him “the most radical left candidate in the race.”

“These are the principal causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump,” said Kennedy in announcing his endorsement.

After Trump won the election, Kennedy launched an initiative to “Make America Healthy Again,” a play on Trump’s slogan of “Make America Great Again.”

Kennedy has said that “ultra-processed food is driving the obesity epidemic.”

He has also claimed that vaccines cause autism and that fluoride, which is found in drinking water, is “associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.