Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chairman of the Senate Health Committee, criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday, accusing him of breaking vaccine-related commitments and building U.S. public health policy "upon a foundation of lies" during an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation in Washington.
Cassidy, a physician and one of the key Republican votes behind Kennedy’s confirmation, told CBS News that commitments Kennedy made during the confirmation process "have been violated," particularly around vaccine messaging and public trust.
"If you build public health upon a foundation of lies, then you’re going to have the absence of adequate public health," Cassidy said.
The Louisiana senator said he backed Kennedy’s nomination because he believed placing him inside the administration with congressional oversight was safer than allowing him to operate as an unofficial White House health adviser without guardrails.
"Either he was going to be in a position where there were guardrails… or he was going to be appointed White House health czar," Cassidy said. "I chose to have the one with the guardrails."
