10 CRITICAL QUESTIONS RFK JR. MUST ANSWER AT HELP CONFIRMATION HEARING ON THURSDAY
January 29, 2025
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — During today’s Senate Committee on Finance hearing for Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Senators pressed him on him taking millions of dollars from anti-vaccine lawsuits and settlement payments while he is the HHS Secretary—an unprecedented and unethical decision he made to continue to accept profits from anti-vaccine settlements if confirmed.
“Not surprising, RFK Jr. was unable to answer any questions regarding his sketchy finances,” said 314 Action Executive Director Joshua Morrow. “There’s no world in which it’s acceptable for the head of HHS to rake in millions from anti-vaccine settlements—and RFK Jr.’s rambling nonanswers prove just that. But it doesn’t matter to him; he’s all too happy to gamble with children’s lives as long as he is getting a fat paycheck. He has proven that his number one priority is lining his own pockets—even at the expense of American lives.”
Morrow continued, “What we witnessed today reinforced all the warnings from doctors, physicians, health care professionals, and everyday Americans—RFK Jr. is gravely unfit and unqualified to lead the HHS. If he’s pushed through and confirmed as HHS Secretary, RFK Jr.’s long list of financial conflicts will be unprecedented and his anti-vaccine conspiracies will negatively harm millions of children. Senators must reject his nomination next week.”
Morrow said RFK Jr. must address the following questions during Thursday’s HELP committee meeting:
The HHS Secretary has oversight of the FDA, the VICP, the NIH and other entities that have a direct impact on vaccine development and policy.
How exactly will you remove yourself from the oversight of programs that could impact your interest in the Gardasil lawsuits, and in other cases being pushed by Wisner Baum?
- Do you vow to refrain from selecting leaders for these programs, setting policy in regards to vaccines, and speaking about vaccines in public?
- In Section 6 of the ethics letter you submitted, you say that you will not participate in any matter that would affect the payments you receive from the Wisner Baum cases. Does this include speaking publicly about Gardasil and other vaccines, recusing yourself from deliberations and decisions regarding vaccine development and policy, and recusing yourself from oversight of officials who are involved in vaccine development and policy?
- In Section 6 of the ethics letter you submitted, you have agreed to divest yourself from any cases in which the United States has a “direct and substantial interest.” Wouldn’t you agree that this should include the Gardasil lawsuits, since their outcome could affect public health in the United States, particularly for children?
- In Section 6, you state that you will assign your rights to fees from cases involving the United States government to a “non-dependent family member.” Does this include current or future cases involving vaccines and the VICP? This seems like a way to circumvent a conflict rather than remove it. Instead of this, would you pledge to forfeit any of these proceeds?
- Your son is an attorney at Wisner Baum. Will you recuse yourself from any matters that might impact your son’s clients and legal work, including the Zantac lawsuit?
- WisnerBaum is engaged in other litigation against food and drug companies regarding baby food, psychiatric drugs, and opioid withdrawal drugs. Will you recuse yourself from matters and oversight that would impact the outcome of these suits?
- Why are you forfeiting your future payments from the Kennedy and Madonna law firm’s cases, but not from the Wisner Baum cases? Why not follow that example and forfeit your stake in the Gardasil lawsuits?