One of Kennedy's most outspoken critics has been Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, specifically on the issue of abortion. The scion of the Kennedy family, who initially ran as a Democrat against President Joe Biden before he registered as an independent, had said he embraced few restrictions on abortion. “Abortion has been a notoriously divisive issue in America, but actually I see an emerging consensus — abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter,” he said on X in May. “Once the baby is viable outside the womb, it should have rights, and it deserves society’s protection.” Pence’s group, Advancing American Freedom, has launched ads combating Kennedy’s confirmation, saying he supports “abortion on demand.”

Over many years, Kennedy has been clear about his beliefs on vaccines in dozens of interviews, podcasts and social media posts. He’s headed up a nonprofit that has sued the government over its authorizations of vaccines. He’s said there is “ no vaccine that is safe and effective,” and repeatedly called for further study of routine childhood vaccinations, despite decades of research and real-world use that proves they’ve safely prevented disease. But more recently, Kennedy has tried to downplay his past remarks and work, saying he’s not anti-vaccine and promising not to “take away” the shots.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will emphasize that he is not "anti-vaccine" when he appears Wednesday in Congress at the first of two straight days of Senate confirmation hearings. "I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety," Kennedy will say in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee. The statement was shared first with Fox News ahead of the appearance by Kennedy, who, if confirmed, would have control over 18 powerful federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.