Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren got into a heated exchange with Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) after she requested he refrain from suing or profiting from lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies during his tenure and for four years after due to his potential ability to influence outcomes.
RFK Jr. rejected the notion, accusing Warren of wanting him to commit to not sue drug companies. "I'm not going to commit to not suing drug companies or anybody," he added.
Warren, however, went on to say he could "change which claims are compensated in the vaccine injury compensation program." "There's a lot of ways in which you can influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits while you're secretary of HHS," Warren said.
RFK Jr was wiping his brow after Warren was through with him pic.twitter.com/aUfsvnPXdJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 29, 2025
"As Secretary of HHS Robert Kennedy will have the power to undercut vaccines and vaccine manufacturing across the country. And for all his talk about 'follow the science' and his promise that he won't interfere with those of us who want to vaccinate his kids. The bottom line is the same: Kennedy can kill access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it. Kids might die but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in," she added.
Kennedy reiterated that he supports childhood schedule but "the only thing I want is good science." "How about you say you won't make money of what you do as secretary of HHS," Warren concluded.
It was one of several heated exchanges RFK Jr. got into with Democratic senators. Maggie Hassan took part in the previous one, grilling him about changing his stance on abortion.
"You have clearly stated in the past that bodily autonomy is one of your core values. The question is do you stand for that value or not? When was it that you decided to sell out the values you've had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump?" Hassan asked RFK.
"Senator I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy, that we can't be a moral authority on this country," RFK replied.
"But that isn't what you said back in New Hampshire in 2023," Hassan quipped, referencing comments RFK made supporting the right to abortion during his presidential campaign.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is also among Kennedy's detractors, using Donald Trump's own words against him in a message urging senators to "vote no." Pence used a video of Trump from May 2024 calling RFK Jr. a "Democrat plant" and a "radical left liberal" to beg senators not to confirm him as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services.
On Tuesday, former US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy issued a scathing tell-all of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday, posting a series of Instagram videos where she called him a "predator" unfit to oversee critical health agencies like the CDC and FDA.
"Bobby himself is a predator," Kennedy said in the video. "He's always been charismatic, able to attract others through the strength of his personality, his willingness to take risks, and break the rules ... It's no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets."
Originally published on Latin Times
