The former White House coronavirus response coordinator on Sunday said she is looking forward to the Senate confirmation hearing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who President-elect Trump tapped for his secretary of Health and Human Services, as a unique opportunity to have a transparent discussion on the health of Americans.
Dr. Deborah Birx, who served in Trump’s first administration, appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where she was asked at length about Kennedy potentially leading the agency. and his views on health issues such as vaccines.
“That’s why when he talks about transparency, I’m actually excited that in a Senate hearing he would bring forward his data and the questions that come from the senators would bring forth their data,” Birx said of Kennedy. “What I know for sure is he’s a very smart man who can bring his data and his evidence base forward.”
When Birx was asked about Kennedy’s past controversial comments on vaccines, she said he has raised concerns about issues that “many Americans believe already is a problem.”
“Every mom is seeing a classroom of kindergartners where one of the children has autism,” she said. “That’s scary to moms and dads. They want to know why. So it’s not good enough for us to just say vaccines don’t cause autism. It’s us finding what is the cause of autism.”
Former White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said she is “excited” for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Trump picked Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Birx, who served under Trump from 2020 to 2021, said a Senate confirmation hearing would be a great forum to see data from both sides of the argument.
“That hearing would be a way for Americans to really see the data that you’re talking about that we can’t see that causation right now, but what is causing it?” Birx said, adding that addressing the cause of autism in children will be “critical.”
Birx said the White House’s messaging surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine did not help matters.
Birx with then-President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci in the White House Rose Garden on May 15, 2020. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Birx said Kennedy’s hearing will be an opportunity for a transparent discussion about health in America. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
“I think what has confused people is we weren’t clear about what COVID vaccines do and don’t,” she said. “And so now people are questioning, well, what are my childhood vaccines do and don’t. And they don’t understand that some of the vaccines that their children are getting protect them from both disease and create herd immunity. And some of them that they get are just for their child, like H Flu and pneumovax to prevent their child from getting very serious illness.”
“And we’re just not explaining all of this correctly,” she added of vaccines and what they do.
As for Kennedy’s potential appointment, Birx said there’s one important thing Kennedy can do to help him achieve success.
“I think the most important thing is what team he would bring with them, because you’re talking about really a large cap corporation with a highly diverse group, which you have to really bring together and, frankly, eliminate some of the duplications between these agencies to really become more cost-effective.”
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