RFK Nomination Hearing Week
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK), nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has a busy week with two Senate nomination hearings. He will testify in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Thursday. Both hearings are likely to be highly charged. Some Republican senators, including Senate HELP Chair Cassidy (R-LA), have raised questions about RFK’s previous positions and may raise those questions to him directly during the hearings. With back-to-back hearings, members who sit on both committees (Sens. Cassidy (R-LA), Crapo (R-ID), Scott (R-SC), Blackburn (R-TN), Marshall (R-KS), Hassan (D-NH), and Sanders (I-VT)) have an opportunity to ask follow-up questions the next day.
Only the Senate Finance Committee will vote on RFK’s nomination, before it heads to the full Senate floor. RFK can only lose three Republicans and still be confirmed. On Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was confirmed by a vote of 51 – 50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. Sen. McConnell (R-KY) surprised some by joining moderate Sens. Collins (R-ME) and Murkowski (R-AK) to vote against Hegseth’s nomination.
While the House is out of session, eyes are on House Republicans who are convening in Miami, Florida, to discuss their plans on reconciliation. They aim to refine which policies to include in their budget reconciliation. Healthcare policies, such as 340B reform, Medicaid per capita caps, and a Medicare site neutral policy, are eyed as savers to fund Republican priorities of tax cuts and immigration policies. Read our latest +Insight for more on this topic.
On the administrative front, late Friday evening, President Trump took much-anticipated actions on abortion, including:
- Issuing an executive order (EO) that revoked two Biden-era reproductive health executive orders. The EO directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance ensuring agencies comply with the Hyde Amendment, which is passed by Congress annually and prohibits federal funding for abortion.
- Issuing a memorandum to HHS and the US Department of State that reinstates the Mexico City Policy. This policy prohibits foreign organizations that receive US federal funding from providing or promoting abortions. The policy has consistently been revoked by democratic presidents and reinstated by republican presidents.
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