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Senator Bill Cassidy stood up to Donald Trump in 2021 after the January 6 riot — he was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump. And in January, he will become chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, making the Republican gastroenterologist from Louisana one of the most influential doctors in America.
But when it comes to Trump’s nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has for years spread lies and misinformation about vaccines, Cassidy wants a second opinion.
“So I know that sounds novel around here, but I would like to talk to him,” he told The Independent, when asked about his thoughts on the conspiracist.He added that it “seems like a lot of stories are being written, and I have to make sure that I form my opinion on my own.”
Cassidy is not alone. The Independent spoke to many of the Republican senators who are doctors and would be responsible for confirming Kennedy, and specifically asked them about his promotion of the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism.
Almost uniformly, they did not want to speak about Kennedy’s promotion of health misinformation.
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, an OB/GYN, remained mum.
“I think it’s a long answer, and I’m late for a meeting, so I’m not going to give you an answer,” Marshall told The Independent.
Kennedy, the son of the late former Democratic attorney general and senator from New York, staged a campaign for president this cycle, first running as a Democrat to challenge President Joe Biden for the party nomination before running as an independent. Eventually, he dropped out and endorsed Trump.
Since then, Kennedy has pledged to “Make America Healthy Again” and in particular target American food companies, as well as health researchers, for an overhaul. But his criticism of vaccines — particularly the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and his postulation that it causes autism — has raised the most alarm bells.
In the past, Trump has also speculated about the link between vaccines and autism, once claiming that the United States was experiencing “an epidemic” of the developmental disability. But in 2020, Trump championed the creation of the Covid-19 vaccine during Operation Warp Speed.
Kennedy has harshly criticized the Covid-19 shot, and made false claims about its safety.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, an opthalmalogist with long-held libertarian views, told The Independent: “I think he’ll be a great HHS secretary.”
“I think we have what we call regulatory capture — large corporations taking over the regulation of drugs — and abuse of the system for too long,” Paul added.
Paul, like Kennedy, criticized the scientific consensus around Covid-19, notably becoming the first senator to test positive for the virus in 2020. He also regularly jousted with Dr Anthony Fauci during HELP Committee hearings.
Kennedy, for his part, wrote a book in 2021 entitled The Real Anthony Fauci.
Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming will become the most senior doctor in the Senate when he becomes majority whip. He gave a more mixed assessment.
“Wait to see what he says in the hearing,” he told The Independent, before adding for clarity: “I’m pro-vaccine and anti-mandates.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a moderate Republican on the HELP Committee who is not a doctor, said she hoped to talk to Kennedy.
“I happen to believe particularly childhood vaccines are something really important,” she told The Independent. “As a parent, I want to make sure that I protect my kids from measles or mumps or rubella or whatever it is… We’re pretty amazing in terms of what we have developed to keep people healthy.”
