Kennedy Set to Hold Meetings with Key Republican Committee Members

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is scheduled to meet this week with several Republican members of influential Senate committees.

Kennedy will engage with 25 senators, including incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, according to a Kennedy spokesperson who provided information to PMG on Sunday night.

“Mr. Kennedy is immensely prepared to meet with over 2 dozen Senators this week. He is energized, he is excited to talk about President Trump’s vision to make America healthy again,” the spokesperson remarked.

PMG highlighted on Tuesday that Kennedy has arranged meetings for this week with members of the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committees.

Why it matters: Trump has pledged to allow Kennedy to take an assertive approach to health and food policy as soon as he abandoned his presidential campaign to support the now-president-elect, a move that has unsettled many public health experts. Despite Republicans holding an advantage in the Senate during the confirmation process, Kennedy's nomination could be jeopardized if Democrats unify against him and even four Republican senators choose to break ranks.

Several GOP senators are anticipated to inquire about Kennedy's perspectives on vaccines. His previously discredited views questioning the safety of various vaccines have raised alarms among public health experts, who are concerned that his rhetoric might lead to increased fatalities from preventable diseases.

Not all Senate Republicans are as enthusiastic about Kennedy's nomination as they have been regarding some of Trump’s other cabinet selections. Key GOP senators have remained noncommittal.

Kennedy’s confirmation would need to be approved by the Senate Finance Committee, and he is also likely to have a courtesy confirmation hearing with the HELP Committee, although a formal vote might not take place.

Most of the senators he is set to meet with this week are expected to be relatively receptive to him, though there are some exceptions. Kennedy is anticipated to hold additional meetings in the new year, with Sen. Chuck Grassley indicating to PMG last week that he would postpone meeting with Kennedy until January.

A number of prominent senators do not have scheduled meetings with Kennedy next week, including some who have acknowledged the significance of vaccination programs, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. John Cornyn.

Kennedy is scheduled to meet with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has expressed concerns regarding Kennedy’s anti-vaccine positions and their potential implications for childhood vaccination rates.

He will also sit down with Sen. Tim Scott, who supported legislation in 2018 advocating for water fluoridation. Kennedy has indicated he would seek to end the fluoridation of public drinking water.

Additionally, he is set to meet with Sen. Thom Tillis, who is facing re-election in 2026 and was censured by his state party in 2023 for not being sufficiently conservative on certain policy matters.

Here’s the complete list of Republican senators that Kennedy will be meeting with, as per the spokesperson:

- Sen. Bill Hagerty
- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith
- Sen. James Lankford
- Sen. John Barrasso
- Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune
- Sen. Josh Hawley
- Sen. Katie Britt
- Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski
- Sen. Markwayne Mullin
- Sen. Mike Crapo
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn
- Sen. Rand Paul
- Sen. Rick Scott
- Sen. Roger Marshall
- Sen. Ron Johnson
- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
- Sen. Steve Daines
- Sen. Ted Budd
- Sen. Ted Cruz
- Sen. Thom Tillis
- Sen. Tim Scott
- Sen. Tom Cotton
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville
- Sen. Dan Sullivan

Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News