Let me start by saying that I am generally a fan of what Robert Kennedy Jr. is trying to do over at the Department of Health and Human Services. As a recovering health policy guy, I know there is a lot of room for changes and streamlining over at HHS – a lot of boats that need to be rocked, and RFK is nothing if not a boat-rocker.
That being said, I agree with no one 100 percent of the time, not even myself. So there are a couple of things I’d like someone in the Senate to ask him about.
First, I do want to explore the topic I’m sure Democrats will attempt to hammer him on: vaccines.
I don’t know if traditional vaccines cause autism or anything else, but I do have friends who have children with autism and some swear by the idea that they do. I don’t argue with them, they know their children and their lives better than anyone else ever could, plus I doubt I could convince them of anything, were I so inclined. I am not, I just want the truth, whatever it may be.
RFK has long had ideas about vaccines and autism and I want him to be grilled to ensure that those thoughts are not the diving force behind whatever HHS discovers on the cause of autism. Actually, I don’t want his thoughts to play any role what so ever, I want the evidence to be all that matters. I have little reason to think it will be, but for anything to ever be believed on something so emotionally tinged, it has to be above skepticism. To be above that, he has to be challenged. Nothing will ever convince everyone, but a series of thoughtful questions and insisting on answers will go a long way toward getting the needed trust where it can go.
Another issue I’d really like some answers on is one I’ve written about before. As a big fan of the “right to try” medicines for terminally ill patients – a huge accomplishment of the first Trump administration – I do not understand how someone seemingly opposed to the idea ended up in a position to be a roadblock to that concept. Unfortunately, this FDA has consistently ignored Trump’s mission and delayed and rejected lifesaving treatments and therapies for rare disease and cancer patients.
Dr. Vinay Prasad was fired by President Donald Trump for obstructing in new drug development and the right to try. Now he’s back. The Wall Street Journal described his “journey” as “past criticisms of some rare-disease treatments also alarmed biotech executives, and his agency's approach to one company angered a MAHA supporter in the Senate. Soon White House officials were pushing for Prasad's removal. On July 29, 84 days after Prasad took the job, he was out of it. Then, less than two weeks later, after Kennedy lobbied the White House, Prasad was back.” How do you get fired, then rehired, inside of 2 weeks? I’ve held more jobs than most families – over 80 – and I’ve never pulled off that one.
But then, I never had the Secretary of HHS AND the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration personally lobby on my behalf. The Journal reports, “Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary successfully lobbied White House chief of staff Susie Wiles for his reinstatement, people familiar with the matter said. They argued that Prasad was needed to enact Kennedy's vision and that the administration shouldn't let online brushfires, especially those started by (Laura) Loomer, take out key appointments.”
Even more confusing, and something I’d love to see explored in the hearing, is the odd working arrangement Prasad has. After ordering remote workers back into offices, this guy manages to work part-time in a full-time job, with we taxpayer footing the bill for his travel back home to California every week. They report “Prasad had been spending roughly three days out of every two weeks at the Maryland headquarters, documents reviewed by the Journal indicate, despite the administration's efforts to return federal workers to the office. The agency had been footing the bill for his cross-country commute, the documents show.”
That’s a hell of a deal for someone desperately desired for the job, not someone fired from it a month ago. What makes Vinay Prasad so special that he, and only he, can do a job for a full- time salary on a part-time basis with taxpayer-funded travel to boot? I’m genuinely curious to know.
RFK is in a position to do a lot of good, but it could also easily go in another direction too. Questioning him and his choices are not only the job of the Senators he’s going to face today, it is the best way to make sure that good does not get derailed by bizarre loyalties and personal pursuits that could be hard to abandon. I hope he gets pressed on everything and has good answers for all of it.
Derek Hunter is the host of the Derek Hunter Show on WMAL in Washington, DC, and has a free daily podcast (subscribe!) and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses, and host of the weekly “Week in F*cking Review” podcast where the news is spoken about the way it deserves to be. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekAHunter.
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