By LINDA BOYLE
Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled for two days by the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee. The hearings held as part of his confirmation process for secretary of Health and Human Services were contentious at best.
I listened to much of the Finance committee’s interrogation. Sadly, little was asked about RFK Jr.’s desires to Make America Healthy Again. They focused more on vaccines, abortion, and his association with the Children’s Health Defense organization—viewed as anti-vax.
One of my favorite moments was when Senator Bernie Sanders held up a picture of a baby onesie that had printed on it ‘Unvaxxed, Unafraid.’” Sanders pushed RFK Jr. repeatedly and asking him if his “organization” would stop selling them. RFK Jr. told Sanders he had “no power over that organization” as he was no longer in charge of it.
The debate got even better. RFK Jr. asked Sanders how much money he had received from pharmaceutical companies. “Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests,” Kennedy said.
Sanders immediately pushed back, “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 [political action committee] money from the pharmaceutical [companies]. They came from workers.”
Sen. Sanders is technically correct and even better at parsing. In the 2019-20 Congressional funding cycle, Sanders received more money from people employed in the field classified as “pharmaceuticals/health products” ($1.4 million) than any other member of Congress, according to Open Secrets. He also received roughly $400,000 from people employed in “pharmaceutical manufacturing.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren also went on a rampage about vaccines. She asked RFK JR. to “commit” to not suing Big Pharma if he were confirmed. He responded, “You’re asking me to not sue drug companies, and I’m not gonna agree to that subject,” At that point, Sen. Warren continued harping, saying if confirmed, RFK Jr. could ‘bankrupt’ vaccine manufacturers.”
Just today, the committee Democrats are demanding more details on RFK Jr.’s involvement with vaccine lawsuits. They believe Kennedy should promise to recuse himself from any vaccine-related court decisions if confirmed as Health & Human Services Secretary.
It makes me wonder about some serious conflicts of interest. Just how much do our congressional members get from pharmaceutical companies?
Where is the truth?
Open Secrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit, and STAT, a media company started by Boston Globe Media, are two organizations that track and publish some of the most reliable numbers on this matter.
These two organizations identified that a majority of senators and representatives get campaign funding from pharmaceutical companies.
A 2020 STAT analysis showed more than two-thirds of Congress received a check from these companies that year. More recent data from Open Secrets confirmed a large number of leaders in the U.S. Congress obtain significant contributions from either Big Pharma or health product companies, “ averaging $45,000 and $47,000 for Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives, respectively — and $50,000 and $69,000 for Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.”
In 2023-24, Democrats received about $26.4 million and Republicans received nearly $16.1 million from Big Pharma. Even more significant is that of the top 20 Republicans and top 20 Democrats who get the highest contributions, 39 belonged to committees with jurisdiction over health-related legislative matters.
Twenty-four of them were in senior positions, according to Olivier J. Wouters, assistant professor of health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
During his confirmation hearing, Kennedy said he hopes to end the “chronic disease epidemic,” which is the crux of his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
He has also sharply criticized the malignant influence of healthcare companies, which he believes has made America sicker.
“President Trump has asked me to end the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again,” he said. “We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world. This is an existential threat economically to our military, to our health, to our sense of well-being, and it is a priority for President Trump.”
Somehow all this has boiled down to a food fight. Little is being said about the huge need to reform our healthcare system and seriously look at why we are one of the sickest countries in the world.
Could it be we give more immunizations?
Could it be we have more harmful additives in our foods than any other western country?
Could it be all the processed foods that have led to an obesity crisis in our children and general population?
Could it be we have somehow decided not to talk honestly about our fellow countrymen (and women) who are making bad health choices?
Do we need to shine the light on America’s health crisis and give people the truth so they can make better decisions?
If RFK Jr. is not confirmed, we can go on fooling ourselves as to how great we are.
The time is now. Votes are being held in the committees starting Feb. 4. Let Sen. Lisa Murkowski know you are one of her constituents and let her know what you think.
Here are Senator Murkowski’s contacts:
510 L Street
Suite 600
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 271-3735
Fax: (877) 857-0322
522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202)-224-6665
Fax: (202)-224-5301
Call, write, email her so she knows what you think. We need RFK Jr. at the helm. We need to Make America Healthy Again.
Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance/Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom.
You won’t sway Lisa to change her actions. She’s bought and paid for, who knows what the ramifications are if she goes against the will of her masters. She has no love for Alaskans as demonstrated by the millions she took from Biden.
Just give it up. You tried. It’s over.
Linda,
Here is my effort of a couple days past. Trust you will agree. Cheers, Johnson-Ketchikan
Greetings Trump Supporting Neighbors and acquaintances.
It appears the committee is bent on voting on Tulsi Gabbard in the dark of the clothes closet!!!! The vote will be taken in what is called a ” Sciffe”, What can happen in a Sciffe?? Senators of both parties can vote against and not be held accountable,(Senators facing potential hard Reelection would be protected from voters knowing how they voted) Votes could be changed for favors, just to name two behind the scenes events that could transpire and you would never know of it, there is no recording of the vote, no cell phones allowed, nothing. Where is the transparency in this action??? All the other cabinet votes are in the open, not this one, possibly the more important appointment of the whole cabinet.
So I ask each of you who are engaged with supporting these choices by President Trump, to take the time to email both of our Senators and demand that the vote on Tulsi be held in the public as the other have been and the those to come.
It is so easy, just Google for Senator Cheers. AmJ
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFlB7R9_vbU
Here is my effort to both Senator Murkowski and Sullivan.
“Senator Murkowski, not often that I find myself addressing you with cause. Again with lack of success in effort, but I must as a good American deeply desiring that our government be vetted and corrected of ills. In this case I believe Tulsi Gabbard deserves to have her committee vote done in the light of day. Please voice opposition to having this vote in-effect, the dark of the night by being held behind closed doors with no access to the public as to how our elected folks voted. Transparency as a topic can have no better example than this effort to shield such an important vote from the public.”
Cheers,
A.M.Johnson-Ketchikan
“Senator Sullivan, Greetings,
Today I am writing to ask you to continue your patriotic support for President Trump’s choices for his cabinet. More so Tulsi Gabbard as it is my understanding the process for her committee vote will be held in the “Dark Of The Night” in some sort of back room process called “Sciff” where no record of the vote is recorded, opening the voting process to back room deals such as Senators with anticipated voter challenges in their next election effort, or votes traded for other purposes, just these two among other potential “Dealings”. I would ask that you force the issue on the floor to having her confirmation vote open to the public as the others have been and remaining offices apparently will be as well, in the public. ”
Sincerely, A.M.Johnson-Ketchikan
Linda, while this was directed towards Tulsi, I had also included both Kennedy and Kash in an earlier post and will find it and post it here as well, stand by-Johnson
Linda, don’t mean to take up all the space, however I found my earlier effort so here it is in total.
Johnson-Ketchikan
Sent on to the “Princess” but didn’t think to capture it. Never the less, it did not read solicitously. I just can not address that woman in a kind gentle way, without including the discus of being anti Trump to the degree she presents and votes. It is a personal vendetta with her so any request to vote in the positive is a bet to take. Anyway, the effort was made. Cheers, Al
Senator Sullivan, Greetings, This is a plea for common sense and good governance. I am asking that you vote in the positive for the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel. Each has presented themselves as confident, qualified and eager to advance on their each dedicated duty to and for the United States. While the Democrats and Murkowski are proving to be childish or vindictive, choice that of the reader, I sense you are in tune with their dedication. PLease vote in the positive on each.
Thank you- A.M.(Al) Johnson-Ketchikan
Do you want to close down McDonald’s too?
princess lisa can’t dig her way out of the hole she is in, took too much of soros/leftys $$$$$$
And anyhow greg & frank would not call her “friend” if she did!
Don’t believe me. Go by trumps own mouth last may. Worse man alive. Horrible man. Lol. He must be blackmailing trump. Gotta be.
Massachusetts’ Dances-With-Pharma was sure heap big red-faced squaw. Makem big warpath against RFK Jr.
Bad medicine of Dances-With-Pharma bring dishonor to entire council in giant stone tipi.
MISS MURKOWSKI imagine ma’am you could shut me up for life, because I would die of shock if you actually helped our team once. It’s flat out shameless stuff please resign you only embarrass us all
We need MAHA!
Lisa told me she would vote to confirm Bobby Jr.
The Kennedys and Murkowskis are so much alike. Both royalty in their home states. Catholics. All college educated. Some finally passed the Bar after years of failure. Privileged beyond belief from family wealth. Spoiled rotten.
Bobby and Lisa both trouble makers, in their respective family and in their respective political party. But Lisa and Bobby are alike in other ways. Both look old. Both have a hard time being understood in their speech. Both had drug problems. And both really piss people off. Bobby doesn’t like the jab and neither do I. Lisa has had multiple boosters and she struggles daily. She needs to listen to Bobby.
Dear senator murkowski,
Please vote “no” with respect to this anti-vax nut.
P.S. – please arrest Elon Musk
She does not give a d— what an Alaskan wants. When will the people here figure that out. She is a republican because she knows she can win that way. She sucks! Also she won’t respond to you if you disagree with her. The Alaska republican party needs to have a way to have the ability to remove someone from running as a republican. Lisa wins because democrats vote for her along with some rino Republicans that are not so bright. I haven’t voted for her she ran as a write in after she said she would support the nominee. That was a lie. Then we seen what happened with the rank choice her people were behind. So yeah contact her all you want or go argue with a fence post, same difference.