US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr defiantly defended his controversial actions to upend public health at a Senate hearing on 4 September. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, also made unfounded allegations about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and accused the medical establishment of corruption. What was supposed to be a routine hearing about the health care agenda of Republican President Donald Trump was anything but.
But while Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana - the Republican physician whose vote was key to Kennedy's confirmation - appeared to express concern over the personnel changes at the CDC, he has stopped short of directly criticizing Kennedy for his actions and positions or calling for his resignation. He has, however, taken other Republicans to task. On Sunday, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Cassidy engaged in a war of words on social media over the Hepatitis B vaccine