RFK Jr set to face abortion, vaccine scrutiny in sitdowns with senators on Capitol Hill

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on Capitol Hill this week for a series of meetings with senators after being chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head up the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in his next term. 

Kennedy is expected to spend four days on the Hill before lawmakers leave town for Christmas.

While he’s there, Kennedy is expected to be pressed on his beliefs about abortion, which have left some Republicans with questions, as well as the efficacy of vaccines, which bipartisan lawmakers have publicly expressed concern about. 

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President-elect Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head up HHS. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I want to know what his real concerns are and what he would want to do different. But I do not want to lose our vaccine programs,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., recently told reporters, reflecting on his time as governor overseeing such programs. 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., shared that while he will meet with Kennedy, he is already a resounding “yes.” 

“I’ve had the privilege to already sit down and answer most of my questions. We will meet, but I was supportive of the president nominating him for it,” he said.

“So, I was supporting before that even took place.”

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Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he’d spent time with RFK Jr. on the campaign trail. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mullin, a close ally of Trump, noted that he had spent significant time with Kennedy on the campaign trail.

Kennedy is a prominent vaccination skeptic and has expressed his own criticism of many popular shots. This has drawn criticism from some on both sides of the aisle, as vaccinations have been commonly relied on for preventing viruses in childhood and diminishing their spread.

Since getting behind Trump before the end of the campaign, however, Kennedy has moderated his tack on vaccines somewhat. In an interview with NBC News, he pushed back at the suggestion that he is “anti-vaccine.” 

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Vaccines have come under new scrutiny following the Covid-19 pandemic. (iStock)

“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away,” he promised. 

“So, I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital that he expects to meet with Kennedy. A staunch pro-life advocate, Lankford has previously said he had many questions about Kennedy’s position on abortion.

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RFK Jr.’s selection by Trump for HHS is stirring some concerns among Republicans.  (Reuters/ Istock)

A number of other Republicans have previously expressed to Fox News Digital their interest in talking to Kennedy about abortion.

At the same time, Kennedy has managed to appeal to some politicians with his plans to tighten food regulations and “make America healthy again.” 

The longtime Democrat-turned-independent could potentially gain support from those on the Democratic side of the aisle, given that there is bipartisan backing for addressing food safety.

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It’s unclear with whom Kennedy will meet on Capitol Hill, but some Democrats have signaled that their doors are open. 

A representative for Kennedy declined to comment to Fox News Digital on the visits planned this week.