Confirmation hearings begin for RFK Jr’s nomination to be US health secretary

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine activist, faces a watershed moment this week as the Senate confirmation hearings begin on his nomination as the US’s top health official, setting up what could be the most contentious cabinet battle of Donald Trump’s second administration.

The 71-year-old Kennedy, whose nomination has sparked fierce resistance from the scientific establishment, would take control of a sprawling $1.8tn healthcare apparatus at a time when public trust in medical institutions remains deeply fractured along partisan lines.

As health and human services secretary, Kennedy would oversee everything from vaccine policy to food safety, wielding enormous influence over public health decisions affecting millions of Americans. His controversial views – including debunked claims about vaccines and autism, fluoride safety and raw milk regulations – have put him at odds with mainstream medical consensus.

Kennedy told NPR in December that as a member of the administration, he is “not going to take vaccines away from anybody”, but he also added he wanted people to make “informed choices”.

In a letter to senators obtained by the Washington Post, Kennedy’s cousin Caroline branded him a “predator”, claiming he privately vaccinated his own children while publicly stoking vaccine hesitancy among worried parents. The accusation, from a former ambassador to Australia and Japan, lands as more than 15,000 medical professionals and 75 Nobel laureates have similarly mobilized against his confirmation.

Kennedy’s pledge to “make America healthy again” through stricter regulation of food additives has found a number of allies, even as Republican senators demand clarity on his stance toward abortion rights and vaccine policy. Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski voiced her concern about his vaccine skepticism, while Iowa senator Joni Ernst said she’s pressing for public commitments on reproductive rights.

For Republican Senate health committee chair Bill Cassidy – a physician who has conducted vaccine trials – the hearings present a crucial test, and provide some hope to the opposition. As a doctor leading the questioning of a nominee who has challenged established medical science, all eyes will be on Cassidy to get in the middle of the public health policy debate.

The confirmation fight begins against a backdrop of shifting public attitudes: polling from Gallup over the summer shows nearly a third of Republicans now view vaccines as more dangerous than the diseases they prevent, a five-fold increase since 2001.

Despite the opposition, Kennedy will likely survive the hearings that begin on Wednesday and continue on Thursday. The final vote, scheduled for next week, will determine whether one of the US’s most prominent vaccine skeptics will be handed the reins of its public health system.