-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I, too, rise to oppose the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

I can only hope that I am half as eloquent and moving as Senator Hassan has been not just here on the floor today but in committee during the confirmation hearing.

I oppose this nomination for his wildly misinformed beliefs and his utter lack of experience. I believe he is fundamentally unfit and unprepared, and Americans will be less healthy if he is confirmed.

Let's begin with, for years, he has made conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine misinformation his calling card, from false accusations that vaccines cause autism to lies that the COVID-19 virus targets specific racial groups. He has founded his own anti-vax organization, authored several books pushing public health conspiracies, and has made millions off anti-vax lawsuits. It all points to a dangerous principle at the core of Mr. Kennedy's beliefs: ``There's no vaccine that is safe and effective.''

As the Presiding Officer knows, my background is in engineering. I am not a scientist, but I am an engineer. As an engineer, I trust the experts who have spent their lives researching, conducting clinical trials, and collecting data.

Through the decades of life-changing discoveries and scientific breakthroughs, one thing has become increasingly, undeniably clear: The single best way to protect the Nation from viral disease is to get vaccinated. It is the reason why, today, hundreds of millions of Americans can live freely without having serious concerns of contracting polio, of contracting smallpox, or of contracting hepatitis.

That used to be a source of pride for the Nation, but in the face of all of the proven science--proven again and again science--Mr. Kennedy has chosen to profit off of fear, and countless parents are being misled into making dangerous decisions for their children.

Look, I get the fear. I am proud to represent California in the Senate, and I am proud to have an engineering background, but I, too, am a parent of three boys. I remember what it was like to hold a baby in your arms and to worry every time there was a sniffle and a cough. I would do anything to protect my children, just as you would do anything to protect yours. But where families have reasonable questions on everything from doctors to diets, Mr. Kennedy simply sees dollar signs.

Now, today, we find ourselves in yet another viral outbreak. A bird flu has shown some early signs of transmission to humans.

I can't think of a worse idea than to install an anti-vaxxer as Secretary of Health and Human Services. His beliefs alone make him unfit to lead HHS, but in addition to that, he is simply unprepared to lead.

Nearly 16 months ago, I was proud to cofound the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus.

Thank you, Senator Tillis; thank you, Senator Ernst; and thank you, Senator Smith, for being cofounders of this caucus.

In the time since then, we have made some significant strides. But before Americans can ever reach out for help in a time of crisis, they have to know that they can access help. So that is on us to make sure that the support, the services, the programs are there for Americans when they need them. We know that Medicaid is the single largest payer of behavioral health services in the Nation.

So at a time when Republicans are looking to cut funding for lifesaving services, I would rather see a fierce defender of Medicaid at HHS. Yet, during his confirmation hearing, Mr. Kennedy failed to show even a basic understanding of Medicaid--not the sources of funding, not the benefits. At one point, he even seemed to confuse Medicaid and Medicare.

Colleagues, I shouldn't have to say this: This is not a ``learn on the job'' nomination.

Well, President Trump knows just how unprepared Mr. Kennedy is for this job. Reporting from Semafor just a few days ago tells us that during Mr. Kennedy's confirmation hearing, President Trump was watching. He saw just how poorly the confirmation hearing was going for Mr. Kennedy. So what did President Trump do? He does what he does best. He leapt into action to distract and divide. He held a press conference simply to throw out the latest controversy to reporters, and it took the attention off and the pressure off of this dangerous nominee.

That is what we are up against, colleagues. Over the next several months, our Nation will face a critical test for some of the most important public health systems in our country.

In the House, Republicans are already floating cuts to Medicaid to pay for even more tax breaks for the rich.

In the White House, President Trump and his shadow president Musk have proven they will shutter any Agency that stands in their way.

Today, we are left wondering who will speak up to protect the health of millions of Americans? Unfortunately, Mr. Kennedy has already shown he is not up to the task.

So, colleagues, I urge you to join me in fighting to protect the health of our constituents and oppose the confirmation of Mr. Kennedy.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source