Dem senators try to tank RFK Jr. despite seeing eye to eye on Big Pharma

Democratic senators took aim at Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, despite their shared views on tackling Big Pharma.

Kennedy testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, where Democrats relentlessly tried to discredit the nominee as being anti-vaccine and attacking his abortion stance. Kennedy, a former Democrat and longtime health care lawyer, has a lot in common with some senators when it comes to challenging Big Pharma.

"All these Democrats are opposed to me for partisan issues. They used to be my friends," Kennedy said. "They agreed with all the issues I've been working on my whole career. Now, they're against me because anything President Trump does has to be discredited, derided, and vilified."

'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.'

It appears that Democratic lawmakers would prefer to tank Trump's nominee rather than seizing the opportunity to make bipartisan progress to improve the health care industry.

"We need to figure out ways to improve care, and the current model is not doing that," Kennedy said. "I would ask any of the Democrats who are chuckling just now: Do you think all that money we're sending to Medicaid every year has made Americans healthy? Is it working for anybody?"

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have both been leading voices on the left against Big Pharma. Despite this great commonality, both Sanders and Warren berated Kennedy.

"I want to know if you will commit right now that not only will you not go to work for drug companies, you won't go to work suing drug companies and taking your break out of that while you are secretary and for four years after," Warren said.

"I'm asking about fees from suing drug companies," Warren clarified. "Will you agree not to do that?"

"I'll commit to not taking any fees from drug companies," Kennedy said. "You're asking me to not sue drug companies, and I'm not going to agree to that."

Sanders similarly went on a tirade about vaccines, ranting about baby onesies that appear to have "anti-vaccine" messaging.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has also spent a large part of his political career criticizing Big Pharma and attempting to hold the health care industry accountable, much like Kennedy has. Yet, Wyden overlooked the opportunity to make progress in uprooting corruption in the health care industry and rather split hairs on Kennedy's past comments on vaccinations and abortion.

After Wyden attempted to incorrectly paint the nominee as anti-vaccine by referencing old and out-of-context statements, Kennedy clarified his comments and called the senator "dishonest."

"Every medicine has people that are sensitive to them, including vaccines," Kennedy said. "I've corrected [the vaccine statement] many times, including on national TV. You know about this, senator, so bringing this up right now is dishonest."

Kennedy reiterated his lifelong commitment to resolving America's health care epidemic, one that he has personally endured.

"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," Kennedy said.

Kennedy will again be testifying before the Senate Health Committee on Thursday.

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