RFK Jr.? ‘I am pro-safety’; America has ‘massive health problems’

by WorldTribune Staff, January 29, 2025 Real World News

As expected, many Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee assailed former Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday for his “anti-vaccine” positions.

“News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,” Kennedy said in his opening statement during his confirmation hearing on his nomination to head up Health and Human Services (HHS).

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addresses the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday. / Video Image
[View Wednesday’s hearing in full here.]

Kennedy noted he has “often disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions” and would not stop doing so.

“Well, I’m not going to apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly, and the first thing I’ve done every morning for the past 20 years is to get on my knees and pray to God that he would put me in a position to end the chronic disease epidemic and to help America’s children,” he said, adding that he was grateful President Donald Trump put him in the position to be able to help on this critical front.

Related: Reports: Pence brings ‘financial top-down pressure’ to kill RFK, Jr. nomination, January 26, 2025

“I worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish, and nobody called me anti-fish. And I believe that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare. All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve written many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, a first line of it is, I am not anti-vaccine, and the last line is, I am not anti-vaccine,” he said, explaining that he is not the “enemy of food producers,” either, placing an emphasis on the importance of American farms.

“American farms are the bedrock of our culture, of our politics, of our national security. When I was a kid, I spent my summer working on ranches. I went to work with our farmers. I want to work with our farmers and food producers. Remove burdens regulations and unleash American ingenuity. MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) simply cannot succeed without a partnership, a full partnership of American farmers.”

Kennedy said he promised Trump that “if confirmed, I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track. Should I be so privileged as to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove financial conflicts of interest from our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased gold standard science at HHS, accountable to the President, to Congress and to the American people.”

“We spend more on health care, at least double and in some cases triple, as other countries,” he continued, noting last year, the U.S. spent $4.8 trillion.

He continued: “That’s almost a fifth of GDP. It’s tantamount to a 20 percent tax on the entire economy. No wonder America has trouble competing with countries that pay a third of what we do for health and have better outcomes and a healthier workforce. But I don’t want to make this too much about money. It’s the human tragedy that moves us to care. President Trump has promised to restore America’s global strength and to restore the American Dream, but he understands we can’t be a strong nation when our people are so sick. … Today, over half of our countrymen and women are chronically ill. When I met with President Trump last summer, I discovered that he is more than just concerned for this tragic situation, but genuine care. President Trump is committed to restoring the American dream, and 77 million Americans delivered a mandate to him to do just that, due in part to the embrace and elevation of the Make America Healthy Again movement. This movement, led largely by MAHA moms from every state, and you can see many of them behind us today and in the hallways and in the lobbies, is one of the most transcendent and powerful movements I’ve ever seen.”

In Kennedy’s exchange with Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the multi-millionaire politician asked: “Will you commit to not taking any money from drug companies after leaving office?”

Kennedy responded: “I don’t think any of them want to give me any.”


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