Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Fox News Digital he plans to meet with Senate Democrats, in addition to Republicans, as he looks to shore up support for confirmation as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in President-elect Trump’s incoming administration.
Asked by Fox News Digital whether he would be meeting with Democrats on the Hill as well, Kennedy, a former Democrat himself, said, “Oh yeah.”
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to reporters at the Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, New York, on Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, Pool)
However, the former independent presidential candidate didn’t say which Senate Democrats he would meet.
“I don’t know,” he said when asked by reporters.
Kennedy kicked off his Capitol Hill meetings for his HHS bid on Monday, meeting with several Republicans. No Democratic senators were included in a list of dozens of lawmakers that he was set to meet with at the beginning of the week.
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Former President Trump shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Last month, Trump announced Kennedy as his HHS pick. The two were initially running against each other in the 2024 election before Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump.
Kennedy’s confirmation could face several obstacles, particularly when it comes to vaccines, agriculture and abortion.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington on July 13, 2020. (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
He has been an outspoken skeptic of vaccinations, which some Republican and Democrat senators have pointed to as a concern.
Kennedy is also pro abortion rights and has supported abortion access throughout his life, which has left some Republicans with questions, as HHS has some authority over regulations that apply to abortion and those who provide them.
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RFK Jr has been a top vaccine critic. (iStock)
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His critiques of the food industry and farming have given him some appeal with Democrats, but at the same time, Republicans representing agricultural states have stressed that they want to protect farmers and ranchers from certain burdensome policies and regulations.
It’s unclear what exactly the coalition supporting Kennedy will look like in the Senate, whether he will have the support of all Republicans or if some Democrats will be needed to get him over the finish line.
