POLITICS NEWS – RFK Jr. slammed at confirmation hearing; remarked that blacks need “different” vaccines than whites

Ananya Roy, News Writer

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, faced sharp criticism at his Senate confirmation hearing after Senator Angela Alsobrooks grilled him over past remarks suggesting Black Americans should have different vaccine schedules. Alsobrooks called the claim “dangerous,” prompting Kennedy to cite studies that experts say he’s misrepresenting.

Kennedy referenced Mayo Clinic research on immune responses, but scientists behind the studies say the data does not support different vaccine protocols by race. Dr. Richard Kennedy of the Mayo Clinic called RFK Jr.’s conclusions a “twisting of the data,” while Dr. Carlos del Rio of Emory University warned such claims could deepen racial disparities in vaccination rates.

Despite a history of promoting vaccine misinformation, Kennedy had attempted to present himself as supportive of immunization efforts during his confirmation, only to contradict his statements during those hearings later. Still, he has not retracted debunked statements linking vaccines to autism or autoimmune responses, many of which were based on retracted or misinterpreted studies from sources tied to his anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense.