In 2018, improperly prepared vaccines — after nurses mixed doses with muscle relaxants instead of water — led to the deaths of two Samoan children. The incident sparked widespread mistrust in the vaccine program, including from Samoa’s prime minister, who suspended MMR immunizations altogether.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed back on questioning from Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) about his vaccine views. “I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages” for people to get those vaccines,

As secretary of the HHS, Kennedy would oversee major health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),

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

RFK Jr. claimed he is not “anti-vaccine” and appeared unfamiliar with key aspects of healthcare insurance programs in his confirmation hearing.

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.

Democrats focused on Kennedy's anti-vaccine advocacy. Republicans probed the former Democratic leader on his abortion and agriculture views.