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Senate Democrats railed against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successful a late-night league Wednesday up of his confirmation ballot to perchance go the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Kennedy's confirmation ballot is expected astir 10:30 a.m. ET connected Thursday, but Democrat senators spent the evening earlier condemning erstwhile President Donald Trump's HHS prime connected a fig of issues.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described Kennedy arsenic "obviously unqualified," "obviously fringe," and arsenic holding views "obviously detrimental to the well-being of the American people."
"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not remotely qualified to go the adjacent Secretary of Health and Human Services," Schumer said. "Robert F. Kennedy mightiness beryllium the slightest qualified radical the president could person chosen for the job. It’s astir arsenic if Mr. Kennedy’s beliefs, past and inheritance were tailor-made to beryllium the nonstop other of what the occupation demands."
RFK JR NOMINATION TO SERVE AS TRUMP'S HEALTH SECRETARY CLEARS KEY HURDLE IN SENATE
Referencing Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard, the recently confirmed Director of National Intelligence, Schumer accused Republican senators of "rubber-stamping radical nary substance however fringe they are."
"The HHS is an bureau that depends connected science, connected grounds and impartiality to guarantee the well-being of implicit 330 cardinal Americans. HHS ensures we devour harmless food, acquisition reliable medication, oversee Medicare benefits and o.k. the usage of lifesaving vaccines. Most importantly, a bully HHS caput makes definite the American radical person entree to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Mr. Kennedy, unfortunately, is not qualified to oversee immoderate of these things," Schumer said. "He is neither a doctor, nor a scientist, nor a nationalist wellness expert, nor a argumentation adept of immoderate kind. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed fixed that deficiency of background, I profoundly fearfulness that helium volition rubber stamp Donald Trump’s warfare against healthcare, meaning we volition spot much of the disastrous backing cuts of the past fewer weeks, meaning that much radical volition suffer wellness coverage, meaning that the interests of for-profit corporations and Big Pharma volition travel earlier the needs of moving Americans."
On the Senate floor, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., work again the missive from Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, who served arsenic the U.S. ambassador to Australia nether the Biden administration.
Her letter, which she released up of RFK Jr.'s Senate confirmation proceeding past month, said, "Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to beryllium Secretary of Health and Human Services, a presumption that would enactment him successful complaint of the wellness of the American people, I consciousness an work to talk out. Overseeing the FDA, the NIH and the CDC and the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agencies that are charged with protecting the astir susceptible among america is an tremendous responsibility, and 1 that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks immoderate applicable authorities fiscal absorption oregon aesculapian expertise. His views connected vaccines are unsafe and willfully misinformed."
Caroline Kennedy went connected to write, "I person known Bobby each my life. We grew up together. It's nary astonishment that helium keeps birds of prey arsenic pets due to the fact that helium himself is simply a predator." Her missive said, "While helium whitethorn promote a younger procreation to be AA meetings, Bobby is addicted to attraction and power. Bobby preys connected the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his ain children portion gathering a pursuing by hypocritically discouraging different parents from vaccinating theirs."
"My view? Robert Kennedy has spent his sizeable endowment promoting misinformation to susceptible radical who person motives we each person and that is the well-being of radical we love. You know, immoderate of the things that Mr. Kennedy said erstwhile he's attacking vaccines, they're not based astatine each connected science, but they entreaty to people's distrust of the modular aesculapian profession," Welch said. "He's promoting it utilizing the magic of the Kennedy name. The credibility that comes from being a subordinate of 1 of the astir starry governmental families successful the past of our country."
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., came to the level to dependable his "strong opposition" to Kennedy.
"Mr. Kennedy says that he'll ever travel the grounds nary substance wherever it leads. Well, if you look astatine his record, helium hasn't done that," Hollen said.
The legislator said Kennedy has "no experience, nary qualifications successful the immense majority" of the wide scope of subjects HHS covers, naming however the section "provides prime power for reproductive wellness services," "ensures that contraception are covered nether the Affordable Care Act, and it makes definite that Americans tin person entree to over-the-counter options" and besides includes programs for aboriginal puerility development, the aged and the disabled.
"I don't deliberation immoderate of america expect that 1 Secretary of HHS tin cognize everything. But if you monitored the hearings and listened to Mr. Kennedy's answers, you tin spot that Mr. Kennedy knows virtually thing astir each those important subjects," helium said.
Van Hollen quoted erstwhile President John F. Kennedy, who said much than 60 years agone that helium hoped "that the renewed thrust to supply vaccination for each Americans, and particularly those who are young, volition person the wholehearted enactment of each genitor successful America."
"Unfortunately, his nephew, RFK Jr, has spent decades unraveling that hard won bequest by spreading lies and conspiracy theories astir vaccines," Van Hollen said.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., besides took contented with the notoriety of the Kennedy name.
"I don't deliberation it's hyperbole to accidental that determination are precise fewer radical successful this state that are little qualified to tally this bureau than Robert Kennedy Jr.," Murphy said. "I accidental that due to the fact that determination are fewer radical successful the state who person been truthful enthusiastic, truthful nationalist and truthful impactful successful their quality to instrumentality immoderate of the wildest conspiracy theories that are retired determination connected the net astir our wellness strategy oregon astir our kids, oregon astir our families, internalize them and past disseminate them successful a mode that does large damage."
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asserted, "We unrecorded successful the clip of the top magnitude of distrust that we’ve ever seen successful this country, and that is astir pronounced, astir wide erstwhile it comes to our health. And 1 of those radical we request to spot the astir successful our state is the idiosyncratic who runs the Department of Health and Human Services."
After gathering with Kennedy and reviewing his statements, Kim said, "he is not idiosyncratic I tin spot with my health, and successful bully conscience, I cannot ballot for him."
"If I cannot spot him with the wellness of my ain kids, however tin I inquire the families of 9 cardinal different New Jerseyans to bash it?" Kim said. "He has excessively often diminished that spot successful the precise healthcare helium would beryllium successful complaint of and excessively often has dispersed disinformation astir the diseases and challenges and threats that we face."
Acknowledging however Kennedy’s supporters would reason helium is "fighting against a breached system" and "simply wants to marque American healthy," Kim said, "unfortunately what we’re seeing similar astir things coming retired of this medication is corruption and conspiracy disguised arsenic mendacious promises of change."
Kim said his begetter was disabled by polio and his parent has Lyme disease, railing against Kennedy’s claims that Lyme illness could person been engineered by the military, arsenic good arsenic that the polio vaccine could beryllium linked to accrued rates of cancer.
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