Nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine record dominates Finance Committee hearing; senators point to Samoa episode

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, faced sustained questioning Thursday about his history of public statements on vaccines and his involvement in a 2019 measles crisis in Samoa.

At the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden, the committee’s ranking member, said staff had reviewed thousands of pages and concluded that the nominee “has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines.” Wyden said those statements “peddling these anti vaccine conspiracy theories … are going to endanger the lives of kids and seniors across the nation.”

The hearing included repeated references to Kennedy’s public record. Kennedy told the committee, “I am pro safety,” and said “all of my kids are vaccinated,” but also defended prior remarks, saying some public snippets were taken out of context. He told senators that when he said “there are no vaccines that are safe and effective” on one podcast, that remark was a fragment and that he had since corrected it publicly.

Why it matters: The HHS secretary oversees federal vaccination policy through agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and plays a role in recommendations that affect Medicare, Medicaid and pediatric vaccine schedules. Senators from both parties warned that the nominee’s past statements and actions could erode public trust and affect vaccination uptake.

Top exchanges and the Samoa episode

Sen. Wyden cited Kennedy’s past remarks and his petition seeking FDA action on COVID vaccines, saying Kennedy’s record is inconsistent with a role that “is entirely about making recommendations” that have “life or death consequences.” Kennedy disputed several of Wyden’s characterizations and repeatedly said he supported vaccines generally while seeking improved safety and transparency.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren pressed Kennedy on his role in Samoa’s outbreak. Warren summarized contemporaneous reports: two children died after improperly mixed vaccines in 2018, the government temporarily suspended the measles vaccine, and later low vaccination rates contributed to a larger outbreak. Warren said, “You launched the idea that a measles vaccine caused these deaths,” and noted international health organizations concluded the claim was false.

Kennedy responded that he arrived in Samoa after the government had suspended vaccinations and that he went there to introduce a medical records system, not to campaign against vaccines. He told the committee, "You cannot find a single Samoan who will say, I didn't get a vaccine because of Bobby Kennedy,” and denied responsibility for the outbreak.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and other Democrats repeatedly cited the death toll in Samoa — commonly reported by public sources as 83 people — as a cautionary example of the consequences of undermining vaccine confidence.

Quotes restricted to witnesses on the record

- Sen. Ron Wyden, committee ranking member: “The receipts show that Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines.”

- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee: “I am pro safety. ... All of my kids are vaccinated.”

- Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “You launched the idea that the children had died not from measles but from, quote, defective vaccine.”

What the nominee said he would do

Kennedy told the committee he supports the childhood immunization schedule and will “support vaccines” if confirmed, while also pledging “radical transparency” at HHS and saying he wants improved safety studies and better data publication practices.

Ending

The questioning over vaccines — and the Samoa episode in particular — was one of the most contentious themes of the hearing. Senators on both sides said they will consider Kennedy’s record and public statements as part of their evaluation; Kennedy reiterated that he supports vaccines while arguing for further safety research and transparency.