{"id":2503,"date":"2024-11-15T17:17:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T17:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/these-senators-hold-rfk-jr-s-fate-in-their-hands-heres-what-they-think-about-him\/"},"modified":"2024-11-15T17:17:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T17:17:57","slug":"these-senators-hold-rfk-jr-s-fate-in-their-hands-heres-what-they-think-about-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/these-senators-hold-rfk-jr-s-fate-in-their-hands-heres-what-they-think-about-him\/","title":{"rendered":"These senators hold RFK Jr.\u2019s fate in their hands. Here\u2019s what they think about him."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

To get confirmed as HHS secretary, President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will first need to get through the Senate Finance Committee.<\/p>\n

And though Republicans will have an edge, it will only take a few defectors to sink his nomination if Democrats, as expected, oppose him in unison. Republicans have rushed to applaud some of Trump\u2019s more conventional other Cabinet picks, but the lack of public enthusiasm for RFK among some on the committee suggests some may be skeptical.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where committee Republicans stand on Kennedy, so far:<\/p>\n

Mike Crapo, Idaho:\u00a0<\/b>The top Republican on the committee said in a statement that Kennedy has \u201cprioritized addressing chronic diseases through consumer choice and healthy lifestyle. American patients, providers and taxpayers deserve a health care system that is efficient, effective and affordable. I look forward to considering his nomination before the Finance Committee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crapo<\/a> attended a recent roundtable hosted by Sen. Ron Johnson<\/a> (R-Wisc.) and Kennedy that focused on the dangers of processed foods and alternative diets. Crapo has said his nascent interest in \u201chealthy eating\u201d led him to attend the event and was supportive of much of what was discussed. However, before Kennedy was chosen, Crapo said doesn\u2019t know if Kennedy could win enough support<\/a> in the Senate to be confirmed.<\/p>\n

Chuck Grassley, Iowa:\u00a0<\/b>A spokesperson for the senator declined to comment. In an interview<\/a> with AgriTalk Radio in October, however, Grassley<\/a> said there are ways to \u201cmake America Healthy Again\u201d without \u201cupsetting the way we produce food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever ideas he has about making lives \u2026 more healthy, it\u2019s got to be compromised with producing enough food so everyone doesn\u2019t die,\u201d Grassley said.<\/p>\n

John Cornyn, Texas:\u00a0<\/b>Cornyn<\/a>, who was the runner-up in the race for Senate majority leader, said Kennedy will be treated like all other nominees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any preconceived notion about it,\u201d Cornyn said. When asked whether vaccine positions might make confirmation difficult: \u201cI\u2019m sure it will come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Thune, South Dakota:\u00a0<\/b>The incoming Senate majority leader said he won\u2019t make judgments<\/a> on any nominees \u201cat this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a confirmation process that we have to adhere to,\u201d Thune<\/a> said. \u201cConstitutionally, there are committees that are going to be conducting hearings and there’ll be plenty of scrutiny of these nominees\u2019 records when the time comes.”<\/p>\n

Tim Scott, South Carolina:\u00a0<\/b>A spokesperson for Scott<\/a> declined to comment. But before the election, Scott deflected<\/a> when asked by BLN’s Dana Bash about Kennedy’s plans to remove fluoride from public water. He said then that he doesn\u2019t have a personal relationship with Kennedy but is confident that the administration will choose \u201ccompetent\u201d and \u201cqualified\u201d nominees.<\/p>\n

Scott introduced legislation with fellow Finance Committee member Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-La.) in 2018 backing water fluoridation.<\/p>\n

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana:\u00a0<\/b>Cassidy, who will chair the Senate HELP Committee, expressed openness to Kennedy in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cRFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cI look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Todd Young, Indiana:\u00a0<\/b>A spokesperson for Young<\/a> \u2014 who said he would not support Trump in 2024 \u2014 declined to comment.<\/p>\n

John Barrasso, Wyoming:<\/b> A spokesperson for Barrasso<\/a> didn\u2019t return a request for comment. But in an interview with NBC News<\/a> before Kennedy was selected, Barrasso said Trump should have the latitude to make picks and declined to weigh in on Kennedy.<\/p>\n

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin:\u00a0<\/b>Johnson praised Kennedy in a post on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could not be happier that [Trump] has selected [Kennedy],\u201d Johnson wrote. \u201cHe\u2019s a brilliant, courageous truth-teller whose unwavering commitment to transparency will make America a healthier nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee:\u00a0<\/b>Blackburn<\/a> supported the pick in a post on X.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Kennedy] will honor his commitment to put the health of Americans first. Another great choice by President Trump,\u201d Blackburn wrote.<\/p>\n

Others:\u00a0<\/b>Spokespeople for Republican Sens. James Lankford<\/a> of Oklahoma, Steve Daines<\/a> of Montana and Thom Tillis<\/a> of North Carolina did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To get confirmed as HHS secretary, President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will first need to get through the Senate Finance Committee. And though Republicans will have an edge, it will only take a few defectors to sink his nomination if Democrats, as expected, oppose him in unison. Republicans have rushed to applaud […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}