Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced off with Senate Democrats Thursday in a heated hearing on vaccines and the CDC.
CDC Shake-Up
Kennedy opened by announcing the removal of officials he blamed for COVID-19 policies, including school closures and masking mandates.
“The people at CDC… who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who WILL BE LEAVING,” he said.
He cited new CDC data showing 76.4% of Americans suffer from chronic disease, up from just 11% in the 1960s. “They DID NOT do their job,” Kennedy declared.
Warren and Sanders Exchanges
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) challenged Kennedy on vaccine policy, but he countered by highlighting $855,000 in pharmaceutical donations she received.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) attempted to deflect, admitting nearly every politician takes pharma money. “Everybody is corrupt but you?” he asked. The remark drew criticism, with Kennedy responding that health agencies had been “co-opted” by corporate interests.
Clash With Sen. Bennett
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) pressed Kennedy over his appointment of Dr. Robert Malone to a CDC advisory panel. Kennedy shot back: “Dr. Malone is one of the inventors of the mRNA vaccine. So he knows a lot more about it than I do.”
Bennet denied the claim, but Kennedy challenged him on vaccine safety issues such as myocarditis in teens. “You’re evading that question,” Kennedy said, refusing to back down.
Johnson and Marshall Weigh In
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) ceded his time to Kennedy, who accused the CDC of covering up vaccine safety data. Kennedy cited an internal 2002 study that linked higher autism risk among Black boys who received the MMR vaccine on schedule.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), a physician, added that by age 18, American children are recommended 76 vaccine doses. He questioned why newborns are given a Hepatitis B shot on day one when the mother tests negative. Kennedy used the point to argue that “seven million Hepatitis B vaccines” would be needed to prevent one infant death.
Partisan Divide
After three hours, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) summed up the proceedings: “There was going to be some partisan battling going on. That is something that is VERY OBVIOUS to anybody who’s paid any attention to what’s happened in the last three hours.”
Kennedy left the hearing smiling, with Democrats unable to dislodge him.
