RFK Jr. and 'MAHA' movement face crunchtime in Senate

President Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild” on health.

Mr. Kennedy will outline what that means at a high-stakes hearing Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee. The panel will scrutinize whether he should lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a sprawling agency with a $1.7 trillion budget and oversight of food and drugs, disease-fighting efforts and major insurance programs.

His confirmation before the full Senate is hardly assured, despite a GOP majority loyal to Mr. Trump.

Mr. Kennedy must overcome claims that he is ill-suited to the role, particularly given his track record of skepticism about vaccines. His work with an anti-vaccine group is a major sticking for potential GOP holdouts and fueling Democratic opposition to his nomination.

“I cannot recall a nominee more dangerous to the health of Americans than Mr. Kennedy,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said. “His positions have shifted from month to month, moment to moment.”

Yet Mr. Kennedy enjoys broad appeal in other areas, including his commitment to breaking up the revolving door between the pharmaceutical companies and government agencies that regulate them. His push to rid food or harmful additives has bipartisan appeal, alongside his desire to address underlying sources of diseases instead of spending billions to treat symptoms.

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“What Bobby and I share is both a passion to make America healthy again. Sixty percent of Americans have a chronic disease right now, and we want to address that,” Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas Republican, told Newsmax ahead of the hearing.

Mr. Kennedy, the son of late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, also worked for years on environmental issues that appeal to liberals.

He ran for president as a Democrat and then switched to an independent in the 2024 race before dropping out and backing Mr. Trump, who repaid his support with the high-profile nomination.

Mr. Kennedy is one of a handful of polarizing picks from Mr. Trump. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, got confirmed with a tie-breaking vote. His pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, also faces a tough confirmation fight.

On Wednesday, Mr. Kennedy could be asked about school food programs and dietary guidelines that HHS must finalize this year with the Department of Agriculture. Senators might explore his objection to seed oils. He says Americans are better off using animal fats in cooking.

However, his anti-vaccine work will be the focus. Mr. Kennedy has insisted he won’t yank shots from the market, though he wants more data on whether they are safe.

Mr. Schumer said Mr. Kennedy cannot be trusted.

“He will pretend as if he’s now found religion on vaccines, or that his words have been twisted unfairly, or that he never intended to say he is anti-vaccines,” the Democratic leader said. “Nobody should believe Mr. Kennedy’s 11th-hour conversion on vaccines.”