WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before his second congressional committee Thursday, the next step for President Trump’s pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department before confirmation votes. 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.
At a glance: RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearing day 2
Live coverage will be posted below in reverse chronological order.
6:00 A.M.
What to watch for as HELP hearing gets underway
SARAH OWERMOHLE
There will be some familiar faces from the Finance Committee grilling on the dais this morning. HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) yesterday engaged RFK Jr. in a wonky back-and-forth about people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Cassidy has not indicated which way he will vote on RFK Jr.’s nomination, so all eyes are on his line of questioning today.
Meanwhile, ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) yesterday got in several contentious debates with RFK Jr. about his evolving stance on abortion, high drug costs, and anti-vaccine onesies. The senator could pursue those topics again, and bring more posters.
But many people will be eager to hear from two Republicans who have not yet publicly engaged with RFK Jr: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Neither has announced yet whether they plan to support his nomination, and each has broken with the party line on votes before. Both pro-RFK Jr. groups and opponents are heavily campaigning for their votes in their states.
5:55 A.M.
Finance hearing sets the stage for second day
SARAH OWERMOHLE AND RACHEL COHRS ZHANG
If Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first confirmation hearing yesterday was any indication, senators and the nominee are set to spar over a vast range of health care issues from vaccine policy to abortion access, food regulations and potential Medicaid cuts.
RFK Jr. repeatedly accused senators of twisting his past remarks during yesterday’s three-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. But he also promised to maintain access to vaccines, support global health aid programs, and retain HHS employees he viewed as doing their jobs, in an attempt to reassure skeptical senators.
The nominee also broke some news on the Trump administration’s health care plans. He said that the president plans to sign an executive order supporting Medicare’s drug price negotiation program, a signature achievement of the Biden presidency. He also told senators that Trump asked him to review safety issues related to the abortion pill mifepristone.
But RFK Jr. was less committal about potential changes the administration could make to Medicaid. And as our colleague Isabella Cueto noted, missing from his discussion of chronic illnesses and the drive to “Make America Healthy Again” were specific policy plans to address the issue.