Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is ‘not a slam dunk,’ as President Donald Trump’s nominee works to shore up support.
In an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ Fetterman said he has met with Kennedy twice in his office and that whatever his decision ends up being on the HHS nominee, it will be ‘an informed view.’
‘I’ve invested a lot of time to really understand his background and to learn more about the man,’ Fetterman said, adding: ‘I approached with an open mind and I watched the hearing. And that’s how the process works.’
Asked if he’s reached a decision on whether he’ll vote ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ for Kennedy, Fetterman said he has spoken to colleagues on both sides regarding the matter.
‘It’s been challenging for sure. Absolutely. It’s certainly not a slam dunk for the nomination,’ Fetterman told ‘Fox News Sunday’ host Shannon Bream.
‘I’ve made an investment to really understand and talk to all of the nominees, and I treated everyone with respect and I took the time to listen, and that’s been part of my commitment,’ he added.
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat who switched his presidential campaign against Biden to run as an Independent before ultimately dropping from the race to back Trump, made it through back-to-back grillings by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Health Committee on Thursday. He still faces crucial committee and full Senate confirmation votes in his mission to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health.
Most of the tough questions and sparring over his stances on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and other issues came from Democrats on the two committees, but Thursday’s hearing ended with the top Republican on the Health panel saying he was ‘struggling’ with Kennedy’s nomination.
‘Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,’ Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told the nominee.
The physician from Louisiana, who is a crucial vote and who has voiced concerns over Kennedy’s past stance on vaccines, asked whether Kennedy can ‘be trusted to support the best public health.’ The senator told Kennedy, who seeks to lead key health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that ‘you may be hearing from me over the weekend.’
Kennedy, whose outspoken views on the pharmaceutical and food industries have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.
A strong pro-life advocate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told ‘Fox News Sunday’ that he is supporting Kennedy despite the nominee’s past comments saying he supported codifying Roe v. Wade and abortion ‘even if it’s full term.’
‘I am now OK to supporting RFK Jr. because I think during the course of the hearing he’s committed to a Republican pro-life agenda, President Trump’s pro-life agenda,’ Graham said when asked about those specific past remarks from Kennedy. ‘So I will take him at his word. I’m comfortable with what he said on the pro-life issue. He has been radically pro-choice as a person. But I do believe that as secretary, he will implement a pro-life agenda that will be pushed by President Trump. I will be a yes, but I’ll also watch every move he makes.’
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.