Key moments from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s first hearing as he battled Dems, fended off attacks on vaccines, climate change and obesity
Robert F.Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, squared off with Democratic senators for more than four hours in a contentious confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.Below are some of the key exchanges from the question-and-answer period:Sanders: “You have started a group called the Children’s Health Defense .
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They are selling what’s called ‘onesies’..
.One of them is titled ‘unvaxxed, unafraid.’ Next one — and they’re sold for 26 bucks apiece, by the way — next one is ‘no vaxx, no problem.’ .
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Your organization is making money selling a product which casts fundamental doubt on the usefulness of vaccines.” Kennedy: “Senator, I have no power over that organization.I’m not a part of it.
I resigned from the board.” Sanders: “That was just a few months ago!”Kennedy: I was a heroin addict for 14 years.I have been 42 years in recovery.
Primary care physicians should understand addiction care.Bennet: “Did you say that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon that targets black and white people, but spared Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people?”Kennedy: “I quoted a study, your honor.I quoted an NIH study that showed .
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certain races.”Bennet: “Did you say Lyme disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon?”Kennedy: “I probably did say that.”Kennedy: “When my uncle was president, 3% of Americans were obese.Today, 74% of Americans are obese or overweight.
Epidemics are not caused by genes.Something is poisoning the American people, and we know that the primary culprit’s our changing food supply.”Kennedy: “I believe [climate change] is existential.
President Trump and I, from the beginning, from our first meeting, agreed to disagree on that issue.”Kennedy: “The Cleveland Clinic has developed an AI nurse that ..
.has diagnostics as good as any doctor.”Kennedy: “Medicaid is not working for Americans.
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