In response to RFK Jr.’s disastrous confirmation hearing today, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“After letting a pandemic spin out of control, jacking up health care costs, and attempting to gut health care access, Donald Trump tapped unqualified conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. to lead HHS. RFK Jr. spent the past two days embarrassing himself on Capitol Hill as he flailed his way through his confirmation hearings, leaving the American people with more questions than answers. From his attacks on Medicaid and the ACA to his failure to answer for Trump’s extreme agenda, RFK Jr. made one thing clear: He is totally unqualified and unable to oversee our nation’s top health agency.”

Does RFK Jr. know that Americans widely support the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid – and will he commit to protecting both programs? 

RFK Jr.: “Americans don’t, by and large, don’t like the Affordable Care Act. … They don’t like Medicaid.” 

KFF: “Similarly, Medicaid, the federal-state government health insurance program for certain low-income individuals and long-term care program, is also very popular with three-fourths of adults (77%) holding favorable views, including six in ten Republicans (63%), and at least eight in ten independents (81%) and Democrats (87%). Medicaid is also popular among those enrolled in the program with 84% saying they view the program favorably.”

KFF: “Majorities of Democrats [88%], Republicans [62%], and independents [73%] say it is ‘very important’ to continue each of [the Affordable Care Act’s] protections for people with pre-existing conditions.”

Does RFK Jr. still believe 9/11 conspiracies (and generally find it hard to differentiate between conspiracy and fact)?

Sen. Tim Kaine: “A couple of months ago you posted this on your X account: ‘On 9/11, it’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t … As president I won’t take sides on 9/11 …’ What was so important about making this point in July of 2024?”

RFK Jr.: *Dodges*

…

Sen. Kaine: “As a general matter, do you find it hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t? Is that a general deficit that you find in your analytical abilities?”

RFK Jr.: *Dodges again*

Sen. Kaine: “So you won’t take sides on 9/11.”

Will RFK Jr. throw out women’s reproductive freedoms by supporting a national abortion ban and ripping away access to medication abortion just to please Trump?

Sen. Maggie Hassan: “So Mr. Kennedy, I’m confused. You have clearly stated in the past that bodily autonomy is one of your core values. The question is, do you stand for that value or not? When was it that you decided to sell out the values you’ve had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump?”

RFK Jr.: “Senator, I agree with President Trump. …” 

Sen. Hassan: “But that isn’t what you said back in New Hampshire in 2023. My question is exactly when did you decide to sell out your life’s work and values to get this position?”

RFK Jr.: “Senator, I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy.”

Sen. Hassan: “So what you’re telling us, just to be clear, because my time is limited, is that regardless of what you believe, regardless of what values you have, if President Trump tells you to do something, you’re going to do it. … if President Trump orders you to take action to make it harder for women to get direly needed health care. You’ll follow his order. If Mr. Trump, as he did yesterday, orders a halt on Medicaid payments that are essential for taking care of people with disabilities all around this country, you’re going to follow that order because you are willing to sacrifice your values, your knowledge, if President Trump tells you to do that. That to me is unacceptable in a Secretary of Health and Human Services.”

RFK Jr.: *Quotes a White House press release* 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin: “The most widely used medication abortion drug mifepristone has been FDA approved for nearly 25 years. More than 100 studies have confirmed that 99% of patients who took the abortion pill had no complications. So with all of that, I can only conclude that you would commit to keep this science-backed and proven medication on the market and accessible for women, is that correct?”

RFK Jr.: “With mifepristone, President Trump has not chosen a policy. I will implement his policy.”

RFK Jr.: “President Trump has asked me to study the safety of mifepristone. He has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it. Whatever [Trump] does, I will implement those policies. I will work with this committee to make those policies make sense”

When RFK Jr. opens the door to gutting Medicaid, does he know how many babies he would be stripping critical health care from? 

Sen. Ben Ray Luján: “Mr. Kennedy, do you know how many babies born in this country are covered through Medicaid?”

RFK Jr.: *prolonged silence* “I would guess- I don’t know the answer. I would guess about 30 million.”

Does RFK Jr. understand what the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) is — and will he enforce existing law to ensure hospitals provide life-saving emergency care? 

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto: “A pregnant woman with a life threatening bleeding from an incomplete miscarriage goes to the ER and her doctor also determines that she needs an emergency abortion, but she’s in a state where abortion is banned. You would agree also as an attorney that federal law protects her right to that emergency care, correct?”

RFK Jr.: “I don’t know.” 

Sen. Cortez Masto: “Well, let me ask you this as an attorney, doesn’t federal law preempt state law?”

RFK Jr.: *Doesn’t answer*

…

Sen. Cortez Masto: “But, what authority do you have over this as the director of HHS?”

RFK Jr.: “What authority do I have?”

Sen. Cortez Masto: “Yes, to enforce the law.”

RFK Jr.: “In what regards?”

Sen. Cortez Masto: “To make sure that a hospital that receives payment from Medicare is ensuring that they’re providing the necessary emergency care to patients when they present-”

RFK Jr.: “I don’t- I-” 

Sen. Cortez Masto: “It’s actually the EMTALA law.”

Will RFK Jr. commit to not profiting off lawsuits during and after his tenure as HHS Secretary? 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “There’s a lot of ways that you can influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits while you are Secretary of HHS, and I’m asking you to commit right now that you will not take a financial stake in every one of those lawsuits so that what you do as secretary will also benefit you financially down the line?” 

RFK Jr.: *tries to change the topic* 

Sen. Warren: “That’s not the question.”

Does RFK Jr. still believe that lyme disease is “highly likely a materially engineered bioweapon” and other fringe medical conspiracy theories he has pushed for years? 

Sen. Michael Bennet: “Did you say that Lyme disease is ‘highly likely a materially engineered bioweapon?’ I made sure I put in the highly likely. Did you say Lyme disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon?”

RFK Jr.: “I probably did say that.”

Does RFK Jr. agree with Trump’s decision to prevent HHS and the CDC from communicating “all important public health information” with the American people and the rest of the world? 

Sen. Raphael Warnock: “Last week the White House gagged HHS and the CDC, preventing them from communicating all important public health information to anyone, including all of our allies, including our allies in the United States and global disease prevention. Can you just answer yes or no because I’m running out of time – do you agree with that action?”

RFK Jr.: *doesn’t answer*

Sen. Warnock: So you agree with the action that gagged HHS and CDC from communicating important public health information?

RFK Jr.: *doesn’t answer again* 

Will RFK Jr. agree with his own uncle, Ted Kennedy, that health care is a human right? 

Sen. Bernie Sanders: “Do you agree with me that the United States should join every other major country on earth and guarantee health care to all people as a human right? Yes or no.”

RFK Jr.: “Senator, I can’t give you a yes or no answer to that question.”

Sen. Sanders: “Is health care a human right?” 

RFK Jr.: *doesn’t answer*