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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday dismissed criticism from GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.) that he is breaking promises.
Speaking to NewsNation’s Anna Kooiman in Atlantic City, N.J., Kennedy said he met with Cassidy roughly a month ago and told the Louisiana Republican his critiques are untrue.
“I went through every promise that I made to them and I’ve kept them all,” the HHS secretary added, recalling his conversation with Cassidy. “I won’t speculate as to why Senator Cassidy is saying those things. I think anybody can make that speculation. But what he’s saying is not true.”
In February 2025, Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy — who received Senate approval via a 52-48 tally.
That was despite Cassidy, a medical doctor and the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, voicing concerns with Kennedy’s views on vaccines during the confirmation process.
After advancing Kennedy’s nomination out of the Senate Finance Committee, Cassidy said the then-HHS nominee “committed” to working “within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems.” He also indicated alignment with Kennedy on combatting chronic disease and improving food safety.
But last week, Cassidy said Kennedy “has not restored trust in public health” in his cabinet-level position.
“You can see the [Trump] administration, if you believe the press accounts, are trying to limit his range of activity. Polling shows that the American people understand that vaccines are important, and for someone to be out there saying that they’re not goes against their experience,” the Louisiana senator told host Margaret Brennan in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”
Over the last 17-plus months, Kennedy has asserted his influence over numerous agencies under his purview. That includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he replaced members of a vaccine advisory panel with his handpicked selections.
That panel went on to tweak guidance for childhood immunizations, reducing the number of recommended shots for children.
Last month, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on Kennedy’s appointment of more than a dozen new members to the CDC panel and the new vaccine schedule HHS issued in January.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, also released emails last week appearing to show Kennedy pressuring the CDC over its vaccine messaging.
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