Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services set off alarms in the agriculture and food sectors as well as health care, appears before two Senate committees back to back this week.
He’s slated to appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Thursday.
The House is not in session this week, but House Republicans will be holding a retreat in Doral, Florida, where they are expected to debate their legislative strategy. President Donald Trump is due to speak to the lawmakers Monday.
Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement sparked concern from farm and food industry groups given his past comments on pesticides, processed foods, pork production and seed oils. Kennedy appears to be winning over senators in one-one meetings.
For example, HELP Committee member Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said after a meeting with Kennedy that he has an “affinity” for agriculture. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican on the Finance Committee, also said Kennedy has been “much more reasonable” on agricultural issues.
As secretary of HHS, Kennedy would oversee the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates 80% of the food supply. Trump’s pick for FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, has blamed pesticides for increased rates of some cancers.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said he’s hearing positive feedback from other Republicans about their meetings with Kennedy.
“I haven’t seen the whip count, but I think he’s doing a good job,” Daines said. “I think he’s going to have the votes to be confirmed.”
From his own meeting with the nominee, Daines said that Kennedy listens well and would be open to discussions about farm issues like pesticides.
Sen. Mike Rounds met with Kennedy last week and described it as “fascinating.” They had a “very frank discussion about South Dakota farmers and ranchers being concerned on any actions impacting their ability to feed and fuel the world that the Secretary of HHS might have a role in,” Rounds said in a post on X.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., doesn’t serve on either of the committees with jurisdiction over Kennedy’s nomination but previously met with Kennedy to discuss the nominee’s opinions on agriculture issues like pesticides and processed foods.
“I think right now his confirmation is okay,” Boozman said. “A lot of people are looking forward to the hearing and to get him to further elaborate on various things.”
The chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, which writes the annual spending bill for USDA and FDA, John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he has yet to meet with Kennedy one-on-one.
So far, Hoeven said most of the conversation about Kennedy has focused on his healthcare policies. However, “On the ag side of the equation … we need to have a conversation with him and make sure he understands the realities of producing the food supply,” Hoeven said. “And that he is going to be somebody we can work with in regard to our farmers.”
Democrats have also indicated their meetings with Kennedy went well, but some are preparing to question him on food-related issues.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who sits on the Senate Finance and Agriculture committees said he did meet with Kennedy and had a good conversation. But he expects Democrats on the panels to ask questions about Kennedy’s stance on hunger and nutrition programs.
Ahead of this week’s hearings, the Center for Science in the Public Interest pushed senators to ask Kennedy about suggestions he would pause all National Institutes of Health research related to drug development or infectious disease.
“Kennedy is without question the most unqualified presidential nominee to lead HHS in the history of the agency,” said CSPI President Peter Lurie in a statement. “A vote for Kennedy is a vote to casually cast aside a century of scientific achievement and medical progress.”
Some on the right have been criticizing Kennedy’s legal record, which includes a history of lawsuits targeting vaccines and glyphosate herbicide.
Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strossel wrote that “Senate Republicans are burying their heads” to avoid confronting Kennedy’s record.
“How to rationalize a nominee who rejects basic science, who labels U.S. farmers a greater threat than al Qaeda, who wants to “punish” climate “deniers,” who loves big government? Senators have variously mumbled that Mr. Kennedy didn’t understand, or was misunderstood, or has shed 50 years of leftist ideology,” she wrote.
Also this week, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will have a hearing on the operation of the Panama Canal. The hearing, chaired by Ted Cruz, R-Texas, comes after President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over the canal.
“The United States paid for and built the Panama Canal, but Panama is treating America unfairly and ceding control of key infrastructure to China,” Cruz said in a statement. “I hope this hearing better informs members of the Commerce Committee about the challenges facing the maritime industry, the extent of foreign influence in Panama, and how the Panamanian government may be falling short of its obligations under the Neutrality Treaty.”
The witnesses will include members of the Federal Maritime Commission and a representative of the shipping industry.
The canal is critical for shipments of soybeans, corn and other commodities to Asia.
Monday, Jan. 27
American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting, through Tuesday, San Antonio.
International Dairy Foods Association’s Dairy Forum 2025, through Wednesday, San Antonio.
Tuesday, Jan. 28
10 a.m. – Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, “Examining the Panama Canal and Its Impact on U.S. Trade and National Security,” 253 Russell.
Wednesday, Jan. 29
10 a.m. – Senate Finance Committee hearing on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be secretary of health and human services, 215 Dirksen.
Thursday, Jan. 30
8:30 a.m. – USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.
9 a.m. – Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the nomination of RFK Jr., 562 Dirksen.
10:30 a.m. – Senate Finance Committee hearing, “The malign influence of the People's Republic of China at home and abroad: recommendations for policy makers,” 419 Dirksen.
Friday, Jan. 31
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
