WASHINGTON — When Senate Democrats huddled with prominent public health experts on Wednesday to discuss the benefits of vaccines, it felt like they were preparing for battle.
The senators peppered the experts with questions about ideas espoused by vaccine critics, the powers of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the best strategies to highlight the benefits of vaccines in a session that was broadcast publicly.
The roundtable, convened by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) clearly served as a prep session ahead of the confirmation hearings next week for Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. RFK Jr. has questioned whether vaccines are safe, asserted that they cause autism and said they haven’t been studied enough.
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