Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said in his opening statement that Kennedy has “virtually no knowledge or experience in handling these issues.”
Kennedy is a longtime environmental lawyer who has not worked in public health administration or medicine.
Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be Health and Human Services Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 29, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Republican Sen. Mike Crapo, chairman of the committee, took a moment before Kennedy’s opening statement to speak on Kennedy’s background, noting his education from Harvard and the London School of Economics as well as his involvement in different advocacy groups.