Trump HHS nominee RFK Jr. to get first senate confirmation hearing today

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday morning for his first confirmation hearing.

The hearing, scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, comes amid growing opposition to Kennedy's nomination. Committee Chair Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced the hearing last week after initial delays related to paperwork from the Office of Government Ethics.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle. The conservative group Advancing American Freedom, founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, has urged Senate Republicans to reject his nomination, citing concerns about his past drug use, support for abortion rights and views on vaccine safety. The group launched an ad campaign against Kennedy last week, including a mobile billboard near Capitol Hill.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has also raised objections, highlighting Kennedy's history of promoting vaccine conspiracy theories and his past comparisons of public health mandates to the Holocaust. However, Warren acknowledged areas of potential agreement, including Kennedy's stance on prescription drug pricing and physician payments.

Additional scrutiny surrounds Kennedy's financial ties to litigation against Merck, a pharmaceutical company his department would regulate if confirmed. The New York Times reported that Kennedy will continue collecting fees from lawsuits related to Gardasil, a vaccine for human papillomavirus.

Kennedy remains connected to Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit he founded, which has promoted claims linking vaccines to chronic illnesses. His book, "The Wuhan Cover-Up," has also fueled controversy with allegations of government secrecy in public health policy.

The Senate hearing is expected to be contentious, as lawmakers weigh Kennedy's qualifications and policy positions before deciding on his confirmation.