Kennedy repeatedly refused to acknowledge scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don’t cause autism and that COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives

Kennedy Jr. is revising his ethics agreement to divest his interest in litigation against an HPV vaccine maker and directing the stake to his adult son, The New York Times reported Friday, citing a written response to questions from senators who are weighing his confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary.

The questioning comes after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced grueling testimony on Thursday to secure the Secretary of Health and Human Services position

If approved, Kennedy will control a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees food and hospital inspections, hundreds of health clinics, vaccine recommendations and health insurance for roughly half the country.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees many of the country’s health agencies, from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The hearings were packed to capacity with protesters and fans, while the spillover crowd hung out in hallways and overflow rooms.

In one of the most tense exchanges in a heated confirmation hearing, Senator Angela Alsobrooks called out past comments RFK Jr. made suggesting a different vaccine schedule for Black people.

Kennedy, a Democrat who ran as an independent but ended up supporting Trump in the 2024 presidential campaign, was grilled by senators over his views on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and more during two days of confirmation hearings.