Key GOP senators want public commitments from RFK Jr. on abortion and vaccines during confirmation hearings
By Annie Grayer, CNN
(CNN) — Some GOP senators want public commitments from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before deciding whether to support him as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, signaling that President Donald Trump’s pick will have to win over uncertain Republicans in order to secure the job.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who is anti-abortion rights, told CNN that Kennedy needs to do more to assuage her concerns given his past comments supporting access to the procedure.
“He will need to publicly state his position on abortion because I’m obviously very life focused. That’s one of the biggest concerns,” Ernst told CNN.
Republican senators and anti-abortion advocates have already sounded the alarm on Kennedy’s stance on this issue, his previous Democratic bid for president and his past support for abortion access until fetal viability, which Trump’s team has seen as a key vulnerability.
It’s not the only issue that Republican senators will be pressing Kennedy on during a pair of high-profile confirmation hearings this week.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who was one of three Republicans to vote against Trump’s Department of Defense nominee last week, said Monday that she still has concerns about Kennedy, given his long history of sowing doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
“Well I’m certainly concerned about it. I know others have other, other points of concerns that they want to drill down on and try to get some commitments, public commitments, from him on,” Murkowski said. “But vaccines are important.”
Kennedy has tried to tamp down concerns about his history of vaccine skepticism, including whether he supports the polio vaccine. He told reporters on Capitol Hill in December that he is “all for” the polio vaccine following reports that a lawyer affiliated with Kennedy has petitioned the US Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval of the polio vaccine used in the United States.
Over the last month, Kennedy has met with senators on both sides of the aisle as he has tried to make his case directly to them behind closed doors. But the public comments from Republican senators on Monday suggest he has more work to do.
Ernst also told CNN she believes Kennedy needs to clarify his position on climate change.
“But then also the climate, his view on climate and his ideology, I want to make sure that that’s not playing a role there either,” she said.
Other key senators were noncommittal Monday night when asked for their position on Kennedy.
Republican Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy of Louisiana referred all questions about Kennedy to his office, while GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who voted against Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon nomination, did not divulge where she stands.
On vaccines, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said, “I can tell you that (Kennedy is) very clear.”
“He serves at the will of the president of the United States, but he also thinks that there’s nothing wrong with questioning science,” Mullin, who has backed Kennedy, said.
Kennedy will face senators’ questioning just days after Hegseth only narrowly earned Senate confirmation as the Trump administration tries to stand up the president’s Cabinet as quickly as possible.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana outlined the stakes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face in the hearings.
“I expect him to address all of these issues head-on and tell us, tell the committee, and, more importantly, the American people in front of God and country, what his position is on vaccines,” the senator said. “I’ve read a bunch of different positions, and I’ve learned not to believe everything I see on the internet. So that’s why the confirmation hearing is going to be important.”
While Democrats have at times agreed with some of Kennedy’s stances, such as his positions on food safety, suggesting there could be some crossover votes to offset any Republican opposition, most Democrats are against the nomination given his vaccine skepticism.
“I’ve met with him and that’s part of an ongoing dialogue,” Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania told CNN when asked if he might support Kennedy.
Despite the percolating concerns, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN Monday that Kennedy has effectively given reassurances to Republican senators skeptical of his view on vaccines and other controversial issues and has a path to be confirmed even though it’s not clear yet how a handful of them will vote.
“He’ll have that opportunity in front of the world this week,” said Thune. “I think in his private meeting he’s given a lot of reassurances, at least in the readouts that I’m getting from those meetings. And that was my experience in the one I had with him.”
Pressed on whether Kennedy can get enough votes to be confirmed with Republicans’ slim margin in the Senate, Thune said: “As I’ve said before with all these nominees, there’s a path, but I reserve judgment until after they go through the hearing process. My job is to make sure they get that process. But, yeah, I think there’s a way for him to get there.”
Still, Republican senators are aware there is little room for error once a nominee reaches the Senate floor.
“My position is that the president is entitled to his team absent some extraordinary circumstances. But I’m just one vote,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn. “And as we’ve seen with the Hegseth nomination, there’s not a lot of cushion. And so, I think the hearing will be very important to either satisfy people that he’s should be confirmed or not.”
CNN’s Ted Barrett, Alison Main, Kit Maher and Haley Talbot contributed to this report.
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