Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime skeptic of vaccine safety, told senators Thursday he would support the development and distribution of avian flu vaccines for people if confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

But later in a confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee he qualified that commitment by saying he would not back a specific vaccine before examining the science. 

There have been 67 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the United States, with one death associated with the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Many of these cases are among dairy and poultry workers.

Earlier this month, the outgoing Biden administration’s HHS announced it would invest an additional $590 million to speed development of Moderna’s mRNA-based avian flu vaccines. But the rollout of this and other vaccines targeted at the flu will be under Kennedy’s oversight if confirmed to HHS. 

During Wednesday’s hearing at the Senate Finance Committee, Kennedy attempted to distance himself from previous stances on vaccines and abortion. 

However, the issue of vaccine safety and U.S. immunization programs continued to be in the spotlight during Kennedy’s second public appearance on Capitol Hill Thursday, this time at the Senate HELP Committee. 

Senate Finance has jurisdiction over Kennedy’s nomination to lead HHS. Today’s HELP hearing was largely a courtesy given the overlap in interests. Some of the potential hold-outs on Kennedy’s final confirmation vote also sit on the HELP Committee.

Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., a gastroenterologist, has not publicly said yet how he would vote on confirmation. But he has expressed concern with some of Kennedy’s previous views on vaccines, as he continued to do on Thursday.

At Senate Finance, Cassidy pushed the nominee Wednesday on issues like Medicare and Medicaid. Today, he began the hearing by sharing some of his concerns – also voiced by Democratic committee members with Kennedy's previous statements questioning the efficacy of vaccines for measles and human papillomavirus (HPV).

“It’s no secret I have some reservations about your past positions on vaccines and a couple other things,” Cassidy said. ‘I’ve seen the benefits of vaccinations. I know they save lives. I know they’re a crucial part of keeping a nation healthy.’ 

However, Cassidy said many constituents at least partly credit Kennedy for their decisions to forgo vaccinating their children. Cassidy told Kennedy that as the leading federal health figure more people would be looking to him for reliable guidance. 

“The question I need to have answered is, what will you do with that trust?” Cassidy said.  

In response to questioning by Cassidy, Kennedy said he would say vaccines are safe if the science supports that, but did not provide specifics on what evidence is enough to make this determination. 

"Many in the hearing yesterday have claimed that I'm anti-vaccine and anti-industry. Well, I'm neither. I'm pro-safety. I'm pro-good science," Kennedy insisted.

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Other senators on the panel focused on this issue, with some Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma celebrating Kennedy for questioning science. Democrats on the other hand, tried to nail down what research is enough to convince Kennedy about the safety of vaccines.

“You're applying for the job. I mean, clearly you should know this,” said the HELP Committee's ranking member, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in reference to science on COVID-19 vaccines.

After Kennedy agreed to support avian flu vaccine development, Sen. Andy Kim, D-Calif., asked if he would specifically support mRNA vaccine research and development. Kennedy said he would not back one specific vaccine without properly examining the data, but said he would continue research on every kind of vaccine. 

Outside the hearing, Kim said public health officials he’d met with in advance were worried about Kennedy’s position should avian flu progress and become more widespread. He continued there was a lot of skepticism during the last Trump administration about vaccines, particularly mRNA. 

“We don't know how widespread this is going to get,” Kim said. “The hope is that it won't be, but the job of HHS and others is to prepare for the worst.”

Kim said he met with Kennedy individually before today’s hearing, and left that with stronger concerns. 

“And nothing today, at least, has alleviated that,” Kim said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, also appeared to raise concern with Kennedy’s previous anti-vaccine statements. She emphasized the importance and impact of vaccines in rural communities within her state, and asked Kennedy to use his platform and influence to back scientific vaccines without political bias. 

“We can't be going backward with our vaccinations,” Murkowski said. 

Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have voted against some of Trump’s other cabinet nominees, and are considered potential hold-outs on Kennedy’s confirmation. 

At the top of the hearing, Cassidy said there were some areas the two were in alignment, including the need to address ultraprocessed foods to reduce obesity. Other senators also questioned Kennedy on how he would address the issue and the need for reform. 

Kennedy said he has a liaison with USDA to work collaboratively on reducing chronic diseases and exposures causing them.

When asked about concerns with food dyes, Kennedy said other countries have limits on certain dyes and American products contain more, potentially dangerous ingredients. Kennedy said this disparity has been caused by the food industry’s influence over federal agencies to “mass poison American children.” 

“That’s wrong, it needs to end,” Kennedy said. “I believe I'm the one person who's able to end it.” 

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, asked Kennedy what role he could play in reducing the level of “unhealthy foods” subsidized in federal programs like SNAP. Congress and USDA have more oversight on this issue, but Kennedy said he would encourage research on the impacts of some foods on rates of obesity, diabetes and chronic diseases.

“We need to start studying those and we need to get rid of the conflicts in the agency that obstructs those studies and that are focused on advancing the mercantile interest of the food industry …. Rather than the health of the American people,” Kennedy said. 

The nominee added he has established "liaisons with the USDA with Brooke Rollins, with whom I have a very good relationship." Rollins has been nominated to be agriculture secretary.

Kennedy also reiterated commitments to support and protect U.S. farmers that he made in the Senate Finance Committee. 

“We are losing farmers today, and we can't afford to lose a single farmer,” Kennedy said. “On my watch, I do not want to lose a single farmer.” 

He said he wants to reduce reliance on chemicals in U.S. agriculture so farmers can grow crops they can sell to Europe.

"We have to offer farmers an off-ramp from chemically intensive agriculture, which they don't want to do," he said. "There's illness all over the farm community, and it's undoubtedly related to the intensity of chemical pesticides."

Reporter Oliver Ward contributed to this report. 

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