Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was on Capitol Hill again today for the second part of his confirmation hearing to lead the sprawling Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Today’s hearing was with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) kicked off by saying he agreed with Kennedy on “the need to address ultra-processed food and to reduce obesity, the leading cause of chronic disease, and therefore shorter life spans. This will be a priority in this committee, and I look forward to collaborating with you if you are confirmed.”
Cassidy then quickly pivoted to his concerns about Kennedy’s past and current beliefs on the science, safety, and efficacy of vaccines. That conversation, and the high stakes associated with it, dominated the rest of the hearing.
In the few other moments where food and disease prevention were mentioned, Kennedy repeatedly focused his answers on chemical additives in the food supply. He skewered the GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) standard, which the FDA uses to allow certain additives into food without the rigorous safety testing other ingredients face, and said food companies shouldn’t have different ingredient lists for foods they sell in the U.S. vs. Europe.
Later, Kennedy said, “NIH, CDC, and FDA should identify the toxins that are contributing to chronic disease and eliminate them.” (Link to this post.)
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