Washington (AP) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was pushed in the first of two hearings by the Senate to clarify his views on vaccines, abortions and priorities of public health when he tried to do the case to President Donald Trump To become health secretary.
Kennedy would like to conduct the Ministry of Health and Human Services, the 1.7 -Billion agency in the amount of 1.7 trillion dollars, medical research, public relations, security and drug safety, hospital supervision, financing of clinics for community health clinics as well as Medicare and Medicaid financed.
The Republicans of the Senate Finance Committee expressed that Hope Kennedy could lend a hand reduce chronic illnesses and health costs. The Democrats repeatedly used quotes and transcripts from his books and public appearances to adhere to various topics, especially in the vaccines and abortion.
Senator Ron Wyden, a democrat, argued that Mr. Kennedy has changed his views so often from abortion to universal health care that it is almost impossible to know where he is. “
On Thursday, Kennedy will be released before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee.
Some snack bars from the hearing on Wednesday:
Senators wanted to know: Where does Kennedy like now on vaccines?
Kennedy insisted that despite a long story that she described as perilous, he did not reject against vaccines – and the Democrats did not buy it.
“To be honest, they are startled by people,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island.
“I’m not an anti-accine,” Kennedy told the committee. He also said: “I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing but HHS secretary, which makes it complex or keeps people from taking one of these vaccines. “
But before he was nominated, Kennedy tried to discredit vaccines. He said “Covid shots are a crime against humanity,” said Fox News, he still believes in the exposed idea that vaccines can cause autism and asked people to “resist” CDC guidelines in 2021 if Children should get vaccines.
And during the hearing, Kennedy said that “most experts agree” that 6-year-olds should not get COVID 19 vaccines because they are not at risk. This does not apply to the experts who determine the vaccine policy: Food and Drug Administration approved Covid 19 shots for children aged 6 months and the control and prevention of centers for diseases recommend that children are vaccinated.
“Most experts agree that Covid vaccines are safe and effective for children,” said Dr. James Campbell from the American Academy of Pediatrics after hearing Kennedy’s remark.
Senator Maggie Hassan, a democrat from New Hampshire, grilled Kennedy about changing his position.
“There is no reason why one of us should believe that they have reversed the views of acuzicity that they have advertised for 25 years,” she said.
Kennedy was pushed for his shifted views of abortion
Kennedy’s nomination was criticized by the advocates of abortion rights and anti-abortion because his attitude seems to have been postponed. In the hearing, Democrats proposed to better address Trump.
“I have never seen as quickly as a great politician flees on this topic as quickly as they did when Trump asked them to be HHS secretary,” said Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.
Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, questioned Kennedy’s recent support for restrictions on some abortions by quoting his previous statements that the pregnant woman’s abortion should not be left to the government.
Hassan said she was confused: “In the past, you have clearly explained that physical autonomy is one of her basic values. The question is: do you stand for this value or not? ”
Kennedy repeatedly referred to the expression: “I always believed that abortion is a tragedy” – also during the survey of the Republican Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma.
The Republicans expressed that Hope Kennedy could fix a restless health system
In his opening speeches, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, chairman of the Finance Committee, “commitment to combating chronic diseases” and said that prioritization of the disease prevention will “save life, build up costs and build a healthier, stronger country”.
Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, who criticized loudly during the Covid 19 pandemic, had a conversation with Kennedy when the former democrat had considered to join Trump. The senator called it an answer to his prayers.
“We have to heal and combine this divided nation,” said Johnson. “Can’t we come together as a nation and do that?”
Kennedy repeatedly demanded “more research” about long -term therapies
On Wednesday, Kennedy repeatedly proposed that he simply wants to research more about vaccines, medication and other products that have already been examined vigorously by the government and independent scientists.
Kennedy said Trump asked him to have the security of Mifepriston, the abortion pill, which was used in the United States more than 6 million times to end pregnancies.
The FDA approved the medication after a review of four years in 2000 and repeatedly confirmed its security after checking dozens of studies in tens of thousands of women.
“Here are the security studies that tell us that Mifepriston is safe and effective,” said Hassan, swinging a bunch of what she said were 40 of them.
Kennedy again demanded additional research when he was asked about his unexpected claims that increased school shootings could be related to a higher prescription of antidepressants.
Kennedy said his remarks were incorrectly presented and he suggested that antidepressants could play a role among other factors such as social media.
“I don’t think someone can answer this question now,” said Kennedy.
Antidepressants and other prescription drugs are subject to several major clinical studies that evaluate their security and effectiveness before they are approved. In addition, the FDA has several systems for monitoring up-to-date side effects with medicinal products after they are on the market and regularly updates and warnings to combat risks.
Kennedy has also incorrectly specified the state of science and research on Alzheimer’s.
A sticky gunk called Amyloid plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease, but Kennedy wrongly claimed that the National Institutes of Health ignore all other potential guilty ones.
“The NIH has closed studies on another hypothesis,” said Kennedy.
The NIH budget of the NIH budget for Alzheimer’s and similar dementia, however, includes researching a number of other factors on which Alzheimer’s may develop.
Senatorers used Kennedy’s own words against him
Bennet read from podcast transcripts and his own writings and asked Kennedy about his previous statement that Covid-19 was developed to aim for white and black people while he saved Ashkenasian Jews and Chinese.
Kennedy denied that it was “intentionally targeted”.
Bennet also asked Kennedy after an assertion that Lyme Borreliosis “is probably a militarily changed bioweapon”.
“I probably said that,” replied Kennedy.
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Amanda Seitz, Associated Press Writer, contributed to this report.
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