By Paul Bean
Yesterday, January 29, during Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing on his appointment to head of Health and Human Services, Senator Bernie Sanders pressed RFK on his stances on climate change, vaccines, and health care as a whole.
One climate change:
Senator Sanders: I happen to believe, that climate change is real, it’s an existential threat, and it is a health care issue. Donald Trump thinks that it is a hoax originating in China. Question is, in your judgement is climate change a hoax? Or is it real causing devastating problems?”
RFK: “President Trump and I from the beginning, our first meeting agreed to disagree on that issue. I believe climate change is existential. My job is to make Americans Healthy Again…
Senator Sanders: Do you believe.. do you think.. do you disagree with Trump, you don’t think climate change is a hoax…is what I am hearing?
RFK jr: My job here…
Senator Sanders: I am just asking that Mr. Kennedy, not a trick question.
RFK: I answered your question Senator Sanders
Sanders: Okay, you disagree with the President on that.
RFK: I answered your question.
Sanders: Haha, Okay.
To watch this exchange click the link above:
Overnight, many viewers of the exchange pointed out that Bernie Sanders had received millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry, with at least one report from Open Secrets that he had accepted $1.5 million dollars in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.
“I wanted to congratulate you for the phrase ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ I think that is a cry that all of us – a goal that all of us share – because, as you have indicated, we are a very unhealthy society,” said Senator Sanders in his opening statement during today’s “Part Two” of the Senate Confirmation Hearings.
“Your uncle, President Kennedy, and your father, Bobby Kennedy, a great senator from New York, both did the right thing. They said that health care is a human right. I’m not sure how we can move to making America healthy again unless we have the guts to take on the insurance companies and the drug companies and guarantee health care to all people. I will be asking you a question about that.”
Sen. Sanders: Let me ask Mr. Kennedy again, if we want to make America Healthy, will you assure the American people that you will fight to do what every other major country on earth does: guarantee healthcare to every single American.
RFK: I am going to make America healthier than other countries in the world right now.
Sen. Sanders: Will you guarantee what every major does..simple question?
RFK: “And by the way, Bernie, you know, the problem of corruption isn’t just in the federal agencies it’s in Congress too. Almost all of the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry, protecting their interests.”
*crowd cheers/applauses**
Sen. Sanders: “Woah no, no, no no no no…..I thought that that would, well… I ran for President, like you, I got millions and millions of contributions, they did not come from the executives, not one nickel of PAC money from the pharmaceutical industry, they came from workers.”
RFK: “In 2020 you were the single largest receiver of pharmaceutical money.”
Sen Sanders: From workers all over this country, workers!
RFK jr: You were the single…
Sen Sanders: Workers, not a nickel from corporate PACS.
RFK: Bernie you were the single largest acceptor of pharmaceutical dollars.
Sen. Sanders: For workers in the industry
RFK: $1.5 Million dollars
Sen. Sanders: Yeah out of $200 million
Watch the heated exchange right here:
