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21h ago

Trump Backs RFK Jr. After Senate Grilling as GOP Alarm Over Vaccine Policy Grows

Pollsters to Republican leaders warn his vaccine stance is unpopular across parties.

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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate Finance Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies during a hearing on President Trump's budget request in Washington DC on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
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Overview

  • After last week’s contentious Senate Finance hearing, Trump praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a “different” thinker while separately lauding established vaccines such as the polio shot.
  • Republican pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward briefed GOP leaders that voters across parties broadly support routine childhood vaccinations and school requirements, cautioning against Kennedy’s direction.
  • At least six prominent Republicans, including Sens. John Barrasso, Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski and John Thune, plus former Trump health officials Brett Giroir and Jerome Adams, have voiced concerns or urged removal.
  • Kennedy faces mounting institutional pushback, including an open letter from more than 1,000 current and former HHS staffers, criticism from nine former CDC directors, and a lawsuit by medical groups over his COVID-19 guidance reversal.
  • Key policy moves fueling the dispute include rescinding COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women, canceling roughly $500 million in mRNA research funding, mass CDC personnel changes, and the White House ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez.