Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday accused Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren of taking major contributions from pharmaceutical companies.
Warren received $818,997 from employees or political action committees affiliated with the pharmaceutical industry — but not from the companies themselves — during the 2020 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. Kennedy raised the accusation during a Senate Finance Committee hearing as the two clashed over access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
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“We’re not going to recommend a product for which there’s no clinical data for that indication,” Kennedy said. “Is that what I should be doing?”
“What you should be doing is honoring your promise that you made when you were looking to get confirmed in this job. And that is, you promised that you would not take away vaccines from anyone who wanted them,” Warren responded. “You just changed the classification of the COVID vaccine.”
The Food and Drug Administration announced in August that anyone over 65 years old or over six months old with one or more high-risk health ailments is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, PBS News reported.
“I’m not taking them away from people, Senator … most Americans are going to be able to get it from their pharmacy for free,” Kennedy said.
Warren repeated her assertion that Kennedy pledged not to strip access to vaccines while seeking Senate confirmation for his role.
“I never promised that I was going to recommend products with which there is no indication,” Kennedy retorted. “And I know you’ve taken $855,000 from pharmaceutical companies, senator.”
Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan also asserted during the hearing that Kennedy had secretly made scientists limit the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.
Kennedy denied Hassan’s claim and accused her of being dishonest.
“Everybody can get the vaccine … You’re making things up to scare people and it’s a lie … You are lying right now,” Kennedy said.
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