Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr) has claimed that 鈥淐hina will be able to ransom medical health鈥� in America due to its hold on drug manufacturing during his high-profile confirmation hearing.
During the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee meeting held on Thursday (30 January), the nominee for the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration said that it was vital for the US to take back control of drug manufacturing.
Kennedy said: 鈥淭his is a huge priority for President Trump. It is perhaps our greatest national security vulnerability and over the past few years so much of our critical medicine production and supply chains have been moved to China. This is a crisis in our country. If there is a pandemic, if there is a war or any conflict, China will now be able to ransom American health and that is not a good situation. We need to bring that production home and President Trump is committed to doing just that.鈥�
This comes soon after the BIOSECURE Act, widely seen as a law that targets China-based pharma manufacturers like Wuxi Biologics, Wuxi AppTec and more, was excluded from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025 that was put forth for Senate approval in early December.
The BIOSECURE act was expected to be a part of the NDAA after it was passed by the House of Representatives in September 2024. The act seeks to prohibit federal agencies from contracting with or providing funding to any company working with a 鈥渂iotechnology company of concern鈥�.
Medicare & Medicaid, vaccines and obesity drugs also discussed
Senators grilled Kennedy on several topics as part of the nomination hearings, including , which was also raised yesterday (29 January). Kennedy stated he is not 鈥渁nti-vaccine鈥� in yesterday鈥檚 session, and added today that he would continue to evaluate safety and efficacy of all vaccines.
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By GlobalDataAddressing Kennedy in today鈥檚 hearing, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said: “Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me. I have constituents who partly credit you for their decision to not vaccinate their child…..You have cast doubt on some of these vaccines, but the data has been there for a long time.鈥�
Another concern raised in today鈥檚 committee was Kennedy’s 鈥渓ack of knowledge鈥� about Medicare and Medicaid, both of which would come under the aegis of the Department of the Health and Human Services, which Kennedy has been nominated to lead. 聽
Kennedy incorrectly stated Medicare Part A is 鈥渕ainly for primary care or physicians,鈥� while it covers seniors鈥� inpatient hospital care. On Medicare Part B, Kennedy said 鈥渋t鈥檚 for physicians and doctors,鈥� but Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan clarified it is for outpatient care and home health. On Medicare Part C, Kennedy said it鈥檚 for 鈥渢he full menu of all the services A, B, C and D鈥� but Hassan corrected him that it is for Medicare Advantage, which includes Medicare Part A and Part B.
Kennedy also shared his views on glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists (GLP-1RAs) at the hearing. He said: “The GLP class of drugs are miracle drugs, but I do not think they should be the first front line intervention for six-year-old kids. That is the standard of practice now”
Novo Nordisk鈥檚 Wegovy (semaglutide) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of obesity in children 12 years of age or older. It has not been approved anywhere globally for children under the age of 12. Eli Lilly鈥檚 Zepbound is not approved in children of any age.
Frequently asked questions
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Who is RFK Jr.?
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician and is the nominee for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump's second cabinet.
