For the second straight day, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is on Capitol Hill, trying to drum up support from senators for his nomination as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. His often-controversial views about vaccines, fluoride and raw milk have raised alarm in the scientific community and beyond.
Kennedy told Scripps News earlier that his meetings so far were going well, but he has declined to answer direct questions about certain policy positions, including on how his abortion views compare to President-elect Donald Trump's and on the polio vaccine.
On Tuesday, Kennedy met with Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican, who says he and Kennedy discussed issues of abortion.
RELATED STORY | Attorney for RFK Jr. petitioned FDA to repeal polio vaccine approval
Kennedy's vaccine stances have been a major issue since his nomination. A lawyer for Kennedy filed requests in 2022 to have the Food and Drug Administration remove approval for the polio vaccine, claiming it "does not prevent intestinal infection and therefore does not prevent poliovirus transmission."
In early 2023, Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, responded to Siri's petition by saying the FDA had "been unable to reach a decision on your petition because it raises issues requiring further review and analysis by agency officials." Marks added that Siri would be informed as soon as the FDA made a decision on the petition.
Kennedy's confirmation hearings are expected to begin in the new year. Republican Senators will have a narrow margin in the chamber that may mean Kennedy will not need Democratic support to be confirmed.
Addressing the government funding timeline
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, told Scripps News Tuesday that lawmakers have finalized text for a short-term bill to keep the government open, which is now being scrutinized before it's crafted into formal legislation.
The bill includes, among other priorities, more than $100 billion in funding to respond to natural disasters that affected the U.S. this year, like Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Some Republicans have criticized the process, saying there's too much packed into the bill, which will fund the government through March 14th if it passes.
"We can't have just rhetoric," Rep. Rich McCormick, R-GA, told Scripps News. "We have to have something that's proactive instead of reactive. We keep on backing ourselves into a corner with a timeline, and then we have to, in order to get it passed, add more instead of cut. That's not the way we're going to tackle this."
It's also possible that final passage will still go down to the wire. House Republicans agreed they would give their members 72 hours to review legislation before it gets a vote on the House floor. That means the party may not be ready to start voting on budget legislation, which will then also need Senate approval, until Friday evening.
