{"id":2380399,"date":"2024-12-16T07:18:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T12:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-in-the-senate-hot-seat-ahead-of-confirmation-hearings-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-16T07:18:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T12:18:49","slug":"rfk-jr-in-the-senate-hot-seat-ahead-of-confirmation-hearings-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-in-the-senate-hot-seat-ahead-of-confirmation-hearings-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. in the Senate hot seat ahead of confirmation hearings &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frfk-jr-in-the-senate-hot-seat-ahead-of-confirmation-hearings-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2380399&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Robert\u2064 F.\u200d Kennedy Jr.,nominated by \u200bPresident-elect\u2063 Donald Trump to\u2064 led the Department \u200bof Health and Human\u2063 Services (HHS),is set to undergo confirmation hearings\u2063 this week in Washington,D.C.Over four consecutive days, Kennedy will meet with various senators, including key\u2063 figures like \u2062Sen. Bill cassidy, who will chair the Senate HELP Committee next year.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy, \u2063known for his controversial views\u200c as a long-time\u200b environmental lawyer \u2063and vaccine skeptic, faces significant \u200dscrutiny regarding his promotion of debunked theories linking vaccines to autism \u2062and\u200b his proposal to eliminate fluoride from the public water supply. This\u200b proposal has triggered backlash from health experts. <\/p>\n<p>His\u2064 confirmation could \u200dbe challenging; he can only lose three Republican votes \u200bif all Democrats\u2062 oppose \u2062him. Senators like Cassidy, Susan Collins, and Lisa\u200b Murkowski have shown hesitance about Kennedy\u2019s confirmation, reflecting the contentious nature of his nomination. Additionally, concerns are growing\u2064 among senators regarding his positions on vaccines and food and agriculture policies. KennedyS upcoming meetings are\u2062 crucial in determining his future\u2064 role in Trump&#8217;s administration.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">RFK Jr. to take his turn in the Senate hot seat ahead of confirmation hearings<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1911797\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rfk-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a>, President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s pick to be the next secretary of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/health-and-human-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Department of Health and Human Services\">Department of Health and Human Services<\/a> (HHS), is set to head to Capitol Hill this week to meet with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"senators\">senators<\/a> across multiple days.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Kennedy is set to meet with lawmakers across four consecutive days, including with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who will chair the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.help.senate.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Senate HELP Committee <\/a>next year, in addition to a meeting with the panel&rsquo;s Republican staff on Thursday, according to a person familiar.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3223932\/what-is-debate-about-fluoride-water\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>WHAT IS THE DEBATE OVER FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-florida-democratic-lawmaker-rolls-out-trump-endorsement-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Former Florida Democratic lawmaker rolls out Trump endorsement - Washington Examiner\">longtime environmental lawyer<\/a> and vaccine skeptic will be under scrutiny for his endorsement of debunked theories that vaccines cause autism and other chronic diseases. He has also said he wants to eliminate fluoride from the nation&rsquo;s water supply.<\/p>\n<p>In early November, Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/robertkennedyjr\/status\/1852812012478398923?s=46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">posted on X<\/a>: &ldquo;On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S&#8203;. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,&rdquo; a proposal that has drawn criticism from health experts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3223892\/president-elect-donald-trump-cabinet-picks-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO&rsquo;S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT&rsquo;S ADMINISTRATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S&#8203;. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RobertKennedyJr\/status\/1852812012478398923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>The former Democratic-turned-independent presidential candidate could be facing an uphill battle in the Senate. Kennedy is among one of Trump&rsquo;s most controversial nominees and presents a significant test of Republican loyalties. He can only afford to lose three Republicans during his confirmation if all Senate Democrats vote against him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the meetings, Cassidy, who is a gastroenterologist, as well as moderate Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), both members of the panel, have been noncommittal about confirming Kennedy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3220465\/what-trump-promised-day-one-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>WHAT TRUMP HAS PROMISED TO DO ON DAY 1 IN THE OVAL OFFICE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A lawyer assisting Kennedy in choosing officials for his new role as head of HHS petitioned the government to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3259783\/rfk-jr-adviser-wants-fda-revoke-approval-polio-hepatitis-vaccines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">revoke its approval<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/polio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">polio<\/a> vaccine. The campaign is just one of the wars lawyer Aaron Siri is waging against vaccines of all kinds.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I realize Covid got to be pretty controversial, but vaccinations are an important part of our public health, starting with the requirement that kids get vaccinations before they go to school,&rdquo; said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), speaking to reporters this week.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Boozman (R-AK), the incoming chairman of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.agriculture.senate.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee<\/a>, said he has many questions about his views on food and agriculture policy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very concerned, being the incoming chairman of agriculture, I will want to know kind of the food aspect of those production agriculture, those kind of things,&rdquo; Boozman said. &ldquo;What I want to do is visit with him and see where we can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/md-gov-hogan-urges-biden-lawmakers-to-work-together-on-covid-19-relief-legislation\/\" title=\"Md. Gov. Hogan urges Biden, lawmakers to work together on COVID-19 relief legislation\">find common ground<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waves to the crowd at a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3222408\/joe-biden-lame-duck-session-trump-proof-legacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>BIDEN TO USE LAME-DUCK SESSION TO &lsquo;TRUMP-PROOF&rsquo; LEGACY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When Kennedy launched a campaign for the presidency as a Democrat last year, concerns around the chronic disease epidemic became one of the pillars of his movement. After he dropped out of the race and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3134103\/trump-jr-embraces-rfk-jr-maga\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">endorsed<\/a> Trump, he launched a &ldquo;Make America Healthy Again&rdquo; campaign in which he pledged to clear out &ldquo;entire categories&rdquo; of health departments at bureaucracies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n<p>Nutrition could be a key area where Kennedy could find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3251527\/bernie-sanders-rfk-jr-healthy-society\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">consensus <\/a>with Democrats, although none have gone as far as to say they&rsquo;ll vote to confirm him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When Kennedy talks about an unhealthy society, he&rsquo;s right. The amount of chronic illness that we have is just extraordinary,&rdquo; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the current chairman of the HELP committee, said during a recent interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/bernie-sanders-elon-musk-very-smart-rfk-jr-is-right-2024-12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Business Insider<\/em><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) admitted that many of Kennedy&rsquo;s beliefs are &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">crazy conspiracy science&#038;rdquo<\/a>; but said he agrees with him about negotiating drug prices.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Well, there&rsquo;s one thing that Kennedy has supported which I am in full agreement on, and that is that we should be negotiating the price of every drug that no American should be paid more, be paying more than the Canadians or the Europeans or the Australians or the Japanese for drugs,&rdquo; he said during an appearance on CNN.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These drugs, largely invented in the United States of America, largely invented based on research that we, the American taxpayers bond, we should get the best prices in the world, not the worst. I would encourage Kennedy to undertake this mission all out, and that would be a very positive thing,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some GOP Senators also said they plan to &ldquo;tread somewhat carefully&rdquo; considering Kennedy&rsquo;s former party affiliation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I often say about him and Tulsi [Gabbard], a few weeks ago, they were both Democrats,&rdquo; Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/rfk-jr-faces-trouble-in-the-senate-00193579\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to reporting<\/a> from <em>Politico.<\/em> &ldquo;And so we ought to tread somewhat carefully. We&rsquo;re all for recruitment, and we love people to come over. But you oftentimes don&rsquo;t put a baby convert in the pulpit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1911797\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1911797\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RFK Jr. to face Senate scrutiny for HHS confirmation hearings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2380400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/RFK-Jr-Health-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8052,32603,32458,39855,32076],"class_list":["post-2380399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-hearings","tag-political-news","tag-rfk-jr","tag-senate-confirmation","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/RFK-Jr-Health-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2380399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2380399"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2380399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2380403,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2380399\/revisions\/2380403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2380400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2380399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2380399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2380399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}