Trump Taps RFK Jr. For HHS Secretary, Meeting With Oklahoma Senators

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services has sparked controversy, with Kennedy meeting senators on Capitol Hill this week, including Oklahoma’s two Republican senators.

Sen. James Lankford met with Kennedy on Tuesday for about 25 minutes, discussing key issues such as abortion policy under HHS.

“The hard part was in 25 minutes trying to be able to get the number of issues to be able to talk about,” Lankford said. He expressed concern over HHS’s stance on abortion, noting the contrast between pro-abortion policies under Biden and the pro-life orientation during Trump’s first term.

“I’m trying to figure out which one is he planning to be able to do, and RFK Junior was very clear: President Trump is pro-life. He was going to have this as a pro-life HHS,” Lankford said.

Kennedy, the son of slain Attorney General Bobby Kennedy and a former Democratic-turned-Independent presidential candidate, has drawn attention for his embrace of conspiracy theories, particularly his belief that childhood vaccines cause autism.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who met with Kennedy on Monday, said vaccines were among the topics discussed.

“He’s not anti-vax but he’s questioning the science,” Mullin said. “I think that’s exactly what we need from the Secretary of HHS—to actually question it, don’t just take the companies’ word for it.”

While Mullin voiced his support for Kennedy’s confirmation, Lankford has not yet stated how he will vote on any of Trump’s nominees.