On Day 2 Of Hearings, RFK Jr. Will Face 3 Senators Whose Votes Are Crucial
HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will answer questions today from Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, all members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Politico reports that Kennedy opponents would need all three of them, plus one more Republican, to defeat his nomination.
Politico:
These Senators Will Decide RFK Jr.’s Fate. Now He Has To Face Them.
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the government’s health agencies, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appeared to pass his first test for confirmation yesterday in the Senate Finance Committee. But today’s hearing before the panel in charge of health policy will likely reveal more about his chances of leading the Department of Health and Human Services. Finance decides whether to recommend Kennedy’s confirmation to the Senate, but the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee features three Republicans critical to his fate: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and the panel’s chair, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. (Payne, Gardner and Cirruzzo, 1/30)
Stat:
Live Updates: RFK Jr., Trump’s HHS Pick, Faces New Interrogations At Second Confirmation Hearing
The hearing before the Senate HELP Committee, which begins at 10 a.m. ET, promises more questioning on his vaccine views, abortion stance, and plans to tackle chronic illnesses. Follow STAT’s live updates below for key moments and analysis. (Owermohle, Wilkerson, Cueto and Cohrs, 1/30)
Also —
The New York Times:
R.F.K. Jr.’s Fate Rests In Hands Of A Small Group Of Republicans
Like all nominees, Mr. Kennedy can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes if all Democrats are united in their opposition to him. It is also not clear whether Democrats will unanimously oppose him. Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, met with Mr. Kennedy and has said that he is not reflexively opposed to his nomination. Some Republicans have said they have questions or harbor reservations about Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion and his opposition to vaccines. But the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, underscored that at the dawn of the Trump era, questions and reservations from G.O.P. senators sometimes give way to a “yes” vote in the end. (Karni, 1/29)
The Hill:
Republicans Go Easy On Kennedy In Confirmation Hearing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a grilling from Democrats over his past as an anti-vaccine activist and his waffling stance on abortion, but Republicans went easy on President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services during his confirmation hearing Wednesday, foreshadowing a path to confirmation on the Senate floor. Over more than three hours of contentious questioning from Democrats and mostly softballs from Republicans, Kennedy stumbled over basic health care questions, and at times displayed limited knowledge of the complexities of the nearly $2 trillion agency he was nominated to run. (Meyn, 1/29)
The Hill:
John Fetterman: RFK Jr.’s Nomination To Lead HHS In Trouble After Rocky Hearing
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was thought to be open to voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, now says the nominee is in serious trouble after his rocky confirmation hearing. “I don’t think it went well for him today. I don’t think that was a good one,” he said after Kennedy sparred with Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee over his past statements and stance on vaccines. Fetterman said after the bruising hearing that he thinks Kennedy’s nomination may be “moot.” (Bolton, 1/29)
