Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke in fervent defense of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday morning, pushing back on the bipartisan grilling of Kennedy during his Thursday Senate hearing.
Kennedy sat before the Senate Finance committee for an over three-hour hearing on September 4, fielding hard-hitting questions from Democrats and Republicans largely focused on his vaccine policies. Tuberville called Kennedy’s three-hour September 4 Senate hearing “a dogpile by politicians who are scared to death of questioning the status quo.”
Tuberville said the hearing was “Washington at its worst” and called the hearing “a coordinated deep-state hit job.” The Alabama senator stood before a poster of headlines discussing obesity and chronic disease as he touted Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
“I’ve personally seen him come close to tears while talking about his passion for ending the chronic disease epidemic in this country. What’s wrong with that?” Tuberville asked the Senate floor on Tuesday.
Kennedy’s Senate hearing came after a wave of turnover at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the firing of director Susan Monarez and the resignation of several other CDC officials. Since the CDC departures, a political spotlight has hovered over Kennedy and HHS, with several Democrats, Trump’s former Surgeon General, and HHS staffers calling for Kennedy’s removal as HHS Secretary.
Tuberville drew attention to Kennedy’s views on vaccines on Tuesday, saying Democrats have spread misinformation on the Secretary’s vaccine policies. Democrats and several Republicans, like Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), have questioned Kennedy’s policies, including his recent effort to scale back requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine to those over age 65 or with pre-existing conditions.
“The Department of Health and Human Services is not, and I repeat, is not, banning vaccines. RFK is simply directing the Department to look into some of the potential long-term effects of anything that we are putting into our bodies. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a great thing. It’s long overdue,” Tuberville said.
He posted a photo of himself with the HHS Secretary on X, writing, “He isn’t scared of the SWAMP and is exactly the kind of LEADER we need.”
Tuberville has an athletic background, serving as head football coach for Auburn University, Ole Miss, and the University of Cincinnati before running for Senate. His home state of Alabama has consistently ranked among the least healthy states in America.
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According to a 2024 Forbes study, Alabama ranked as the state with the 6th least healthy population. 13.3% of Alabama’s population in 2024 had diabetes, while about 234 out of every 100,000 of the state’s residents die of heart disease.
Tuberville’s Alabama Senate colleague, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), has also backed Kennedy since the hearing.
