AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face Senate confirmation hearings in his bid to become the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump's controversial pick is expected to face tough questioning about his qualifications and track record. Many in the medical community oppose his confirmation, but there is also support from some quarters. NPR's Will Stone joins us to talk about this. Hi, Will.
WILL STONE, BYLINE: Hey, there.
RASCOE: So, Will, what are the main concerns about Kennedy's confirmation?
STONE: Well, his track record on vaccines is the most prominent one. For years, Kennedy led an advocacy group that's a major player in the antivaccine movement. In 2021, he petitioned the government to revoke the authorizations for the COVID vaccines. Kennedy said in 2023 that no vaccine is safe and effective, and he's made other inaccurate claims about infectious diseases.
Now, recently, Kennedy has softened his tone. After the election, he told NPR, he's not going to take anyone's vaccines away. I asked Dr. Brett Giroir about this. He's a former assistant secretary for health in the first Trump administration.
BRETT GIROIR: Just saying, you know, I'm not going to take your vaccines away would not be sufficient for me. If that were the answer and the only explanation, I would definitely not confirm him. His issues about vaccines and reliance on quasi- or pseudoscience needs to be changed.
STONE: He isn't taking a position yet, but he says, senators need to ask questions because there's a lot an HHS secretary could do to undermine vaccines.
RASCOE: Will, where is this pushback coming from?
STONE: So many doctors are speaking out on social media and in op-eds in opposition. The biggest organized effort is a campaign that's gathered at least 15,000 signatures from physicians. That's being led by a progressive advocacy group called Committee to Protect Health Care. Separately, the American Public Health Association has urged the Senate to reject Kennedy. But some of the most prominent physician groups, like the American Medical Association, have not weighed in publicly. I reached out to the AMA about this. They did not respond. Dr. Rob Davidson with Protect Health Care says he's not sure why they aren't taking a stand.
ROB DAVIDSON: It's politics. It's D.C., and I guess they'll have to answer to that. I think it's wrong. I think if they truly stand for the health of our patients, they should be coming out against this and taking a stand.
RASCOE: But RFK Jr. has vowed to address chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes and trying to make Americans healthier again. What about that?
STONE: Well, that is a big part of his appeal, and many in public health say, you know, this is important. But this focus cannot be at the expense of preventing infectious diseases like measles. Dr. Jeffrey Flier, a former dean of Harvard Medical School, says Kennedy has ascended to this point not in spite of his previous activism, but because of it.
JEFFREY FLIER: He has no other basis for being the head of HHS. Anyone could stand up and say, oh, you know, we have a lot of chronic disease. We need to look at it. The idea that he represents some new insight into the importance of that area and how we should be thinking about it is ludicrous.
STONE: And I should add that Flier is a well-known researcher in the field of obesity.
RASCOE: But there are some supporters in the medical community. Who are they?
STONE: Yeah, that's right. There's also a petition from a pro-Kennedy group called MAHA Action - MAHA being short for make America healthy again. And that group says it has over 4,000 verified signatures from physicians and scientists. You see a lot of support for Kennedy online in the wellness and influencer space, physicians who are focused on diet and lifestyle. One of them is Dr. Philip Ovadia, a Florida heart surgeon with a telemedicine practice.
PHILIP OVADIA: A lot of what RFK has talked about is looking at our food supply, looking at the ingredients in our food. That's something that he's been talking about for a long time, and it's great to see that part of it being elevated.
RASCOE: So how likely is it that Kennedy will get confirmed?
STONE: So it's hard to say. Some Republicans have expressed concern. The former Trump official Giroir says it looks like there may be enough support for Kennedy to be confirmed. We reached out to a Kennedy spokesperson for comment. She said Bobby Kennedy has met with over 60 United States senators. He's prepared and excited.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Will Stone. Thank you so much for joining us.
STONE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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