Sen. Bernie Sanders says he was “not particularly happy” with RFK Jr.’s performance at hearings, citing “deep concerns”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, said Sunday that he was “not particularly happy” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presentation before Senate committees last week, though he would not say how he plans  in the panel’s vote to advance Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“I will vote when I’ll vote. But anybody who watched that hearing understands my deep concerns about Kennedy,” Sanders said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, is the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee and also sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which Kennedy appeared before last week. The Finance Committee announced Sunday that it will vote on whether to advance RFK’s nomination Tuesday.

The Vermont independent outlined where he thinks Kennedy is right, pointing to his comments about the nation being unhealthy, about life expectancy relative to other wealthy countries and issues with the food industry. But he stressed that Kennedy “continues to believe that autism is caused by vaccines,” and was not aligned with him on issues like universal healthcare and targeting the pharmaceutical industry to lower prescription drug prices. 

Sanders also argued that “the conspiracy theories” that Kennedy has entertained are “not unlike what we’re hearing all over the Trump administration.”

The comments come after Kennedy was grilled on his vaccine stance, among other things, during the hearings last week, as his advancement out of committee — and confirmation by the Senate more broadly — remains in question. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said he’s been “struggling” with Kennedy’s nomination due concerns he may undermine faith in vaccines. And without support from Democrats and independents on the committee, Cassidy’s opposition could tank a favorable recommendation for Kennedy. In a floor vote before the full Senate, Republicans can lose just three votes to confirm Kennedy without support across the aisle.

Though Kennedy, 71, dropped out of the presidential race to endorse President Trump in August, he previously sought the Democratic nomination and has close ties to the party as the as the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy.

Sanders, asked whether he would help Republicans to confirm Kennedy, said he will make his decision in the days ahead, noting that although he’s voted for some of Mr. Trump’s nominees, though he’s voted against most.