Appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Thursday, it was also evident the panel’s chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), was looking for some reassurances.
“It's no secret I have some reservations about your past positions on vaccines,” Cassidy said to Kennedy at the start of the hearing. “As a physician who's been involved in immunization programs, I've seen the benefits of vaccinations. I know they save lives. I know they're a crucial part of keeping our nation healthy.”
Cassidy, who also sits on the Finance Committee, questioned Kennedy for the second time in two days. While Wednesday’s session focused on some of the finer details of health policy, Thursday was more about vaccines and Kennedy’s effort to promote the debunked claim that vaccines are linked to autism.
Like he did during Wednesday’s hearing, Kennedy denied being anti-vaccine and said he was merely pro-safety.
While some Republicans appeared to sympathize with his rhetoric about vaccine safety — Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said his son and daughter-in-law had “done their research” on vaccines and wouldn’t let his new granddaughter become a “pincushion” — Cassidy pushed back.
Cassidy pleaded multiple times for Kennedy to publicly declare that vaccines don’t cause autism.
“That would have an incredible impact,” Cassidy said.
He even presented Kennedy with a comprehensive study that concluded there was no link between vaccines and autism. But Kennedy wouldn’t do it, saying only that if the evidence proved otherwise, he would apologize for past comments suggesting a link.
At the end of the hearing, Cassidy said he has been “struggling” with Kennedy’s nomination and questioned whether he was capable of changing his views, noting both his age, 71, and the position he hopes to occupy.
During the hearing, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also praised the benefits of vaccines, specifically the Trump administration’s efforts to develop the coronavirus shot.
Murkowski, considered another potential swing vote on Kennedy, told reporters after the hearing she wanted to review what Kennedy said about vaccines and autism. But she thinks “skeptic” is too broad a term for Kennedy because he said he believes in the benefits of the polio vaccine.
“So, when you say skeptic, that's a term that would include everything, right? And I think he made clear that it's not everything,” Murkowski said.
