RFK Jr. Engages in Heated Senate Exchange Over COVID-19 Data and Vaccine Policy
RFK Jr. Engages in Heated Senate Exchange Over COVID-19 Data and Vaccine Policy
The Senate Finance Committee witnessed a contentious hearing on September 4th, as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clashed with U.S. senators regarding his management of health agencies and his past comments on COVID-19 vaccines and antidepressants. Kennedy repeatedly accused senators of misrepresenting his statements and distorting his record during the hours-long session.
A major point of contention arose when Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) pressed Kennedy on the number of Americans who died from COVID-19. Kennedy stated he didn’t know the exact figure, citing “data chaos” from the CDC, a response Warner found surprising for an HHS Secretary. Official estimates place the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. at over 1 million.
Kennedy’s stance on Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s initiative for rapid vaccine development, also drew scrutiny. While he affirmed support for the program as “genius” for delivering a “perfectly matched” vaccine when needed, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) highlighted Kennedy’s previous criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines and his decision to cancel funding for mRNA vaccine research. Kennedy had previously called the COVID-19 vaccine the “deadliest vaccine ever made” in 2021.
Disputes over vaccine access flared when Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) accused Kennedy of limiting public access to COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy vehemently denied this, stating, “Everybody can get the vaccine. You’re just making things up to scare people, and it’s a lie.” However, recent Aug. 27 guidance from the FDA specifies updated COVID-19 vaccine approval for individuals aged 65 and older, or those 6 months and older with underlying health conditions, suggesting broader access might require “off-label” prescriptions.
Finally, Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) challenged Kennedy on an alleged link he made between antidepressants and violent crime, specifically referencing an Aug. 27 school shooting in Minneapolis. Kennedy denied the accusation, but an Aug. 28 “Fox & Friends” interview shows him stating that HHS was “launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence.” Psychiatry experts generally do not support a causal link between antidepressants and violent crime.
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