ICYMI: Warren Remarks on RFK Jr. Committee Vote
Washington, D.C. – Following the Senate Finance Committee vote to advance the nomination of Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, gave the following remarks:
Transcript: Open Executive Session to Consider Favorably Reporting the Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services
Senate Finance Committee
February 4, 2025
As Delivered
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Since we had our hearing last week, Mr. Kennedy has amended his ethics agreement. Recall that his ethics agreement said that while he was Secretary of HHS, he intended to retain a financial interest in ongoing vaccine litigation—that he was already collecting money from—and that he wanted to continue to collect that money even though he could affect the outcome of that litigation. He has since changed his position on that. Once it was exposed, people talked about it, and expressed some serious reservations about him doing that, he said he will instead give his financial interests to his son. That is a fig leaf that is so small, it would take a magnifying glass to see it.
No one is fooled about what is happening here. Mr. Kennedy refuses to say that he will not participate in these lawsuits financially the day after he leaves office. And yet, Mr. Kennedy has acknowledged the American people have a right to know that the decisions he is making are decisions that are in their interest, not in his future financial interest. He has said he thinks that is the right standard, and yet, he has figured out how to make money off of his anti-vax positions. He has already raked in 2.5 million dollars. He is in a position where he can affect the outcomes by things that he does as Secretary of HHS. Yet, he refuses to say that he will delay, by even a day, taking on anti-vax lawsuits the minute he leaves.
That is an appalling conflict of interest, and it is one in which the American people can reasonably ask: is Mr. Kennedy's plan to help the American people, or is he planning to use this job to further enrich himself, as he has pointed out with his son, and enrich his family?
The importance of this litigation cannot be overstated. This is not only about a private company that gets sued and has to pay out. Vaccine manufacturers often operate on very slim profit margins. If they get sued repeatedly and successfully, they simply move out of the vaccine space. We have already seen this happen with vaccines in the past. 20 years ago, we watched vaccines just move away if they did not have protection from these kinds of lawsuits. The consequence of Mr. Kennedy's ability to make those lawsuits easier is also the ability to shut down access and manufacturing for vaccines for every one of us. And I think that is a terrible mistake.
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