{"id":2395919,"date":"2025-01-28T07:20:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T12:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-to-be-grilled-my-senators-funded-by-big-pharma\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T07:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T12:22:06","slug":"rfk-jr-to-be-grilled-my-senators-funded-by-big-pharma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-to-be-grilled-my-senators-funded-by-big-pharma\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. To Be Grilled My Senators Funded By Big Pharma"},"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\">22<\/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-to-be-grilled-my-senators-funded-by-big-pharma%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=2395919&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 F. Kennedy Jr., nominated by Donald Trump to\u200b head teh Department \u2063of Health and Human Services (HHS), is set to face scrutiny in congressional hearings. With a background as an environmental lawyer and a long history of criticizing the pharmaceutical industry, Kennedy&#8217;s \u200dconfirmation could\u2063 considerably affect various health policies, particularly those related to\u200c drug regulations. He claims that certain \u200dindustries profit from public illness, particularly chronic \u200dconditions that require lifelong medication.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy&#8217;s testimony will occur before two Senate committees, where \u2064many members have accepted millions in donations from pharmaceutical companies.\u2063 He is \u2063particularly vocal against <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">current weight-loss \u200ddrugs recommended<\/a> for children,emphasizing the \u200dneed for healthier alternatives. Notably, he has faced both support and opposition regarding his stances on health issues, including potential\u2064 conflicts of\u2064 interest surrounding his ongoing lawsuit connections against pharmaceutical giant\u200b Merck.<\/p>\n<p>While Kennedy&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-tebow-strengthens-bond-with-israel-with-charity-event\/\" title=\"Tim Tebow Strengthens Bond With Israel With Charity Event\">pro-life views<\/a> may cause friction, his\u200c recent pledges to\u2062 uphold certain protections \u2064could make him more palatable to Republican senators. Conversely, Democrats have attempted to delay his confirmation by raising ethical\u2062 concerns regarding \u200dhis financial ties to ongoing lawsuits. Kennedy&#8217;s approach \u200cand the upcoming hearings\u200b will be crucial in determining the direction of health\u200d policy \u2062under HHS.  <\/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<div>\n<p>President Donald Trump&rsquo;s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be grilled in public hearings held by lawmakers who&rsquo;ve pocketed more than $10 million from the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n<p>In a make-or-break moment for the movement to &ldquo;make America healthy again,&rdquo; Trump&rsquo;s nominee to lead the crusade at HHS, environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill Wednesday and Thursday. Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee first, and the Health, Education Labor &amp; Pensions Committee second. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are a series of industries that actually make money from keeping us sick,&rdquo; Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-14327139\/rfk-jr-medical-industry-america-obesity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in an interview with Dr. Phil last year, which the host re-shared this week. &ldquo;You would think they want us healthy but they actually make more money if we get sicker. And of course, with the pharmaceutical companies, if you have a chronic illness then you&rsquo;re a lifetime patient.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy said the diabetes drug Ozempic in particular is being <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/08\/americans-are-betting-on-ozempic-over-willpower-to-make-america-healthy-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">relied on<\/a> to induce weight loss for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/fastats\/obesity-overweight.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nation<\/a> where more than two-thirds are overweight and 40 percent are obese. In November, the Biden administration proposed an 11th-hour <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/26\/biden-proposes-35-billion-handout-for-big-pharmas-lucrative-weight-loss-drugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rule<\/a> to cover the medication under federal insurance programs. If confirmed as HHS secretary, Kennedy would decide whether to approve the $35 billion handout for drug manufacturers or terminate the proposal. Kennedy, however, has been a consistent critic of the medications now <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/10\/forget-playing-outside-big-pharmas-solution-to-childhood-obesity-is-more-drugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recommended<\/a> by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for obese children as young as 12.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A sick child,&rdquo; Kennedy&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wsau.com\/2024\/08\/26\/rfk-jr-s-epic-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>&nbsp;in his August endorsement speech of Trump, &ldquo;is the best thing for the pharmaceutical industry. When American children or adults are sick with a chronic condition, they&rsquo;re put on medication for their entire life.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy&rsquo;s persistent antagonism of the pharmaceutical giants led to a <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/newsletters\/business-economy\/4993717-pharma-stocks-sink-on-rfk-jr-pick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shock<\/a> in their stocks upon his nomination to lead the nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/about\/budget\/fy2025\/index.html#:~:text=The%20President%27s%20Fiscal%20Year%20(FY,FY%202024%20current%20law%20levels.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2 trillion<\/a> agency in charge of regulating the drug industry. HHS holds jurisdiction over the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making HHS a primary recruitment ground for the industry&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/healthpolicy.usc.edu\/article\/study-of-revolving-door-in-washington-shows-one-third-of-hhs-appointees-leave-for-industry-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revolving door<\/a>&nbsp;of influence, which Kennedy has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsnationnow.com\/politics\/2024-election\/trump-rfk-jr-health-agencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledged<\/a> to eliminate.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Kennedy will face his first round of questions before lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee who&rsquo;ve received roughly $7 million from drug companies between 2019 and 2024, according to a Federalist analysis of industry donations&nbsp;compiled by OpenSecrets. Members of the Senate Health Committee, who will question Kennedy Thursday, have received more than $5.6 million in contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, or nearly $4.4 million around a similar timespan once excluding Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., received more contributions from the drug makers than any other member of either party across both committees, with more than $691,000 between 2019 and 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/members-of-congress\/thom-tillis\/industries?cid=N00035492&amp;cycle=2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to OpenSecrets. Sen. Cassidy, a physician who has been one of Kennedy&rsquo;s most vocal critics by <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/5068699-bill-cassidy-robert-f-kennedy-jr-vaccines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">targeting<\/a> past skepticism of vaccines, came in a close second with nearly $<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/members-of-congress\/bill-cassidy\/industries?cid=N00030245&amp;cycle=2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">673,000<\/a> from pharmaceutical interests in the same five-year period.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist, Fox News contributor, and author of the book,&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Make-America-Healthy-Again-Trillion-Dollar\/dp\/0062961004\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Make America Healthy Again<\/a>,<\/em>&nbsp;told The Federalist that Kennedy&rsquo;s &ldquo;his well-documented skepticism towards vaccines and other health issues&rdquo; are a primary liability. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He has backed away on some of his rhetoric since the nomination process, saying publicly he does not want to restrict vaccines, only ensure their safety,&rdquo; she said. But, she added, &ldquo;he will have to convince physician members of the Senate and others that this is not a ploy to garner votes, rather he should lay out a specific plan on how he will improve the safety of vaccines and how access will not be impacted by whatever measures he plans to implement.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy has also faced attacks from an organization backed by former Vice President Mike Pence that characterized Trump&rsquo;s HHS nominee as an abortion extremist. The group, Advancing American Freedom, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/exclusive-mike-pence-org-urges-senators-to-oppose-rfk-jr-confirmation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a> lawmakers of confirming a recent pro-abortion Democrat to oversee one of the nation&rsquo;s most powerful regulatory agencies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While RFK Jr. has made certain overtures to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/march-for-life-charts-course-for-biden-administration\/\" title=\"March for Life Charts Course for Biden Administration\">pro-life leaders<\/a> that he would be mindful of their concerns at HHS, there is little reason for confidence at this time,&rdquo; the group said. <\/p>\n<p>The group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/03\/03\/politics\/dark-money-searle-foundation-invs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to CNN, has also received a six-figure donation from a pharma-funded foundation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.encyclopedia.com\/books\/politics-and-business-magazines\/g-d-searle-company#:~:text=Searle%27s%20best%2Dknown%20products,most%20notably%20NutraSweet%20brand%20sweetener.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">built<\/a> on an empire of sugar substitutes and birth control pills. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Not surprisingly, the group is also attacking RFK for supporting psychedelic therapy,&rdquo; said Calley Means <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/calleymeans\/status\/1882809743749820556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on X<\/a>. A December <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/18\/americans-overwhelmingly-support-maha-rfks-plans-to-reform-the-food-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> found nearly half of U.S. adults favor Kennedy&rsquo;s plans to legalize psychedelic substances for therapeutic use, though Republicans support the idea the least out of 10 platform items.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This YouGov survey is fascinating. Americans from both parties are overwhelmingly united behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&#8217;s food reforms despite views of RFK himself becoming profoundly polarized. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/72IISsqw9A\">https:\/\/t.co\/72IISsqw9A<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vuPxgtgy85\">pic.twitter.com\/vuPxgtgy85<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tristan Justice (@JusticeTristan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JusticeTristan\/status\/1869190787453394951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Republican concerns about Kennedy&rsquo;s abortion views were largely laid to rest last month when he <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/hhs-nominee-rfk-jr-pledges-to-reinstate-pro-life-protections-that-defined-trumps-first-term\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledged&nbsp;<\/a>to reinstate pro-life protections which existed during Trump&rsquo;s first term. Kennedy had previously endorsed abortion through all nine months of pregnancy during the presidential campaign, a position he&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertKennedyJr\/status\/1789121919951704481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">walked back<\/a>&nbsp;last May once he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-than-300-scientists-sign-letter-supporting-rfk-jr-for-hhs\/\" title=\"More Than 300 Scientists Sign Letter Supporting RFK Jr. For HHS\">learned women selectively &#038;ldquo<\/a>;abort healthy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-walks-back-stance-on-full-term-abortion\/\" title=\"RFK Jr. revises position on late-term abortion\">viable late-term fetuses<\/a>.&rdquo; He did not, however, fully embrace a pro-life platform backed by social conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While the Pro-Life members may oppose his Pro-Choice stance, President-elect Trump has indicated he is against a federal abortion ban so voting against RFK Jr. because of his Pro-Chance stance is a moot point,&rdquo; said Dr. Saphier. &ldquo;Ultimately, I believe RFK Jr. will be confirmed since Republicans were handed a mandate by the American people and while they many not be wholly satisfied with the nominee for HHS Secretary, a vote against him by a Republican could be politically disastrous for the Senator.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Democrats, on the other hand, worked to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/national-news\/articles\/2025-01-21\/why-hasnt-robert-f-kennedy-jr-had-a-confirmation-hearing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stall<\/a> Kennedy&rsquo;s confirmation proceedings with ethics complaints outlined in The New York Times last week. Trump&rsquo;s pick to run HHS, the Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/22\/us\/politics\/rfk-hpv-vaccine-merck.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, plans to maintain a financial stake in a lawsuit against the vaccine manufacturer Merck.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The ethics document said Mr. Kennedy would continue to collect fees for cases in which he referred clients to Wisner Baum, a law firm suing Merck over Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against the human papillomavirus, or HPV,&rdquo; said the Times. <\/p>\n<p>Michael Chamberlain, the director of the non-profit ethics watchdog Protect the Public&rsquo;s Trust, told The Federalist that Kennedy&rsquo;s arrangement should not be problematic. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s sad is that much of it appears based more in cynical speculation than factual analysis,&rdquo; Chamberlain said. &ldquo;It is evident that RFK, Jr. complied with his obligations to provide all of the relevant information, and he has worked with ethics officials to set up structures to allow him to identify and avoid any conflicts of interest. The real question that should be asked is: what is the motivation behind this cynical speculation?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Tristan Justice is a national correspondent for The Federalist and the co-author of &#8220;Fat and Unhappy: How &#8216;Body Positivity&#8217; Is Killing Us (and How to Save Yourself).&#8221; He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>. Buy &#8220;Fat and Unhappy&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sz7EDAJI1c\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s HHS nominee faces scrutiny from lawmakers tied to pharma<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2395920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/RFK.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[39919,38313,32793,32458,48508],"class_list":["post-2395919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-big-pharma","tag-health-policy","tag-political-accountability","tag-rfk-jr","tag-senate-hearing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/RFK.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395919","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\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2395919"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2395923,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395919\/revisions\/2395923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2395920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2395919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2395919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2395919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}