By Katherine Tinsley
1:14pm PST, Jan 30, 2025
Kennedy has been promoting his Make America Healthy Again — "MAHA" — movement, where he often spreads anti-vaccine information and theories online. Due to his influence, many senators are concerned about how Kennedy will impact the medical industry.
"I don't think it went well for him today. I don't think that was a good one," Fetterman told The Hill.
"It's moot," he added, when asked if he is still considering voting for Kennedy. "I'm not really sure how much support's going to emerge after that."
As Kennedy hopes to secure support from elected officials, many continue to have their reservations over his nomination.
"I think we can all agree that was really a difficult performance," Fetterman noted. "I'm not sure he'll even make it out of the committee."
Despite their fears, Kennedy Jr. vowed to protect the American public.
"I promised President Trump that, if confirmed, I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track," Kennedy stated. "There's nobody who will fix it the way that I do because I'm not scared of vested interests."
Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennet stressed the importance of leading the Health and Human Services Department.
"We are truly through the looking glass this morning in the Senate here," Bennet explained. "Unlike other jobs we're confirming around this place, this job is life and death."
Republican Ron Johnson told his peers that Kennedy was willing to "set aside" political differences to focus on his responsibilities.
"Thank you for your decades-long advocacy for a clean environment, for children's health," Johnson exclaimed. "I can't say I'm surprised by their hostility on the other side – I'm highly disappointed by it."
While Bennet was critical of Kennedy's views on immunization, he recognized that some of his beliefs hold a level of validity.
"We have no shortage of challenges to confront, and I even agree with Mr. Kennedy on some of the diagnoses," Bennet stated, as he noticed young people were often worried during his time as superintendent in Denver.
Bennet urged his peers not to endorse Kennedy, as his rhetoric has been misleading for many citizens.
"What is so disturbing to me is out of 330 million Americans, we are being asked to put somebody in this job who spent 50 years of his life… peddling in half-truths, peddling in false statements, peddling in theories that create doubt about whether or not things that we know are safe are unsafe," Bennet stressed.
"And he says it with such conviction you believe him," he added.
