RFK Jr. set to face Bill Cassidy in back-to-back Senate hearings - BERITAJA

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to Capitol Hill connected Wednesday connected a imaginable collision people pinch the Republican who helped put him successful the job: Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy.

It will beryllium Kennedy’s first quality successful about a twelvemonth earlier the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, which Cassidy chairs. The senator, who is up for reelection, formed the cardinal ballot to corroborate Kennedy past twelvemonth aft securing a bid of promises from Kennedy, including that he would sphere national vaccine recommendations and regularly look earlier the committee.

Kennedy has not kept those promises; Cassidy has constricted his disapproval of the wellness caput to posts connected societal media and property statements. He has been vocal successful his support of vaccines, including during the March confirmation proceeding for Dr. Casey Means, a Kennedy state who has questioned vaccines. Cassidy has not yet scheduled a vote to beforehand Means’ nomination.

Wednesday’s proceeding will people Kennedy’s first quality earlier Cassidy since a confrontational Senate Finance Committee proceeding successful September and could connection the clearest motion yet of really the legislator plans to grip those concerns. A spokesperson for Cassidy declined to remark connected what the legislator plans to inquire Kennedy.

Kennedy is besides expected to look questions from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring adjacent year and has said he plans to speak much freely about his views, including connected members of Trump’s cabinet. (Tillis voted to corroborate each members of Trump’s furniture successful 2025.)

Kennedy will look earlier the Finance Committee successful the greeting and the HELP Committee successful the afternoon.

In January, Kennedy overhauled the puerility vaccine schedule, reducing the number of recommended diseases for children to beryllium vaccinated against from 18 to 11 — a move Cassidy later said successful a station connected X would “make America sicker.” The changes removed recommendations that each babies should beryllium protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue and 2 types of bacterial meningitis.

In March, a national judge blocked those changes and put connected clasp the caller members Kennedy appointed to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. The management hasn’t yet appealed the ruling. But Kennedy signed disconnected connected caller rules for the committee that could make it easier to activity about the court’s decision.

Dorit Reiss, a vaccine argumentation master astatine the University of California Law San Francisco, said that she hopes that Cassidy will clasp Kennedy accountable.

“There’s a raging bales outbreak,” Reiss said. “Kennedy whitethorn person fixed lukewarm endorsements to the MMR vaccine but, arsenic acold arsenic I know, hasn’t made immoderate efforts to telephone connected group to vaccinate aliases to do thing applicable to trim the risk.”

Kennedy has already testified astatine 5 legislature hearings complete the past week. He has faced blistering disapproval from Democrats complete his vaccine argumentation and overhaul of national wellness agencies. At 1 hearing, Kennedy said the U.S. has “done better” astatine preventing bales than immoderate different country.

“Judging by Secretary Kennedy’s caller grounds to Congress, he is apt to proceed to gaslight the Senate Finance and HELP committees,” said Lawrence Gostin, head of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law astatine Georgetown University. “He continues utilizing position for illustration ‘world-class science,’ ‘rigorous evidence,’ and ‘radical transparency,’ erstwhile successful truth he has done the opposite.”

In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, called what Gostin said “a baseless accusation that doesn’t lucifer reality.”

Another imaginable wildcard for Kennedy is Tillis, a Republican who is not seeking reelection, Reiss said.

During the September hearing, she noted, Tillis suggested that Kennedy had broken his promises connected vaccines, saying, “I do besides judge that immoderate of your statements look to contradict what you said successful the anterior hearing.”

“The truth that you’re a Republican doesn’t mean that you request to blindly judge [Kennedy’s actions],” Reiss said.

A spokesperson for Tillis did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Kennedy could besides look questions about his caller comments to overhaul the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a national sheet that makes recommendations connected preventive services, including crab screenings, arsenic good arsenic connected President Donald Trump’s executive order meant to spur investigation into psychedelics.