President-elect Donald Trump's pick for HSS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has begun meeting with Republican senators on Capitol Hill ahead of his confirmation hearing, according to a Dec. 16 report from NBC News.
Mr. Kennedy plans to meet with over two dozen Republicans this week, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Majority Whip John Barrasso, and soon-to-be Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo. Mr. Crapo's committee will oversee and vote on Mr. Kennedy’s planned nomination.
Anticipated hearing questions include digging into his historical anti-vaccination rhetoric and his stance on abortion rights.
His first discussion was with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who said he is "completely supportive of what he [Mr. Kennedy] wants to accomplish, and I wish him the best of luck.”
Mr. Kennedy's hearing date has not yet been scheduled, but it could occur before Mr. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Republicans are poised to hold 53 seats in the Senate, meaning they could stand to have three Republicans vote "no" to Mr. Kennedy and still have him confirmed.
Some prominent Republican senators, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, have shown some public distrust of Mr. Kennedy's vaccine agenda.
Mr. McConnell voiced his concerns regarding Mr. Kennedy's request that the FDA rescind approval of the polio vaccine.
"The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and held out the promise of eradicating a terrible disease," Mr. McConnell said in a statement. "Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous."
This week, both Mr. Kennedy and his spokeswoman, Katie Miller, told NBC News that the vaccine will remain available to the public.