RFK Jr. Calls Out Sanders For Big Pharma Ties During Heated Hearing

A Senate confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. turned into a fiery exchange when he confronted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) over financial contributions linked to the pharmaceutical industry. Kennedy, nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, accused Sanders of accepting large sums from the very industry he often criticizes.

Speaking during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, Kennedy pointed to what he called corruption in Congress. “By the way, Bernie, you know the problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies, it’s in Congress, too,” Kennedy stated. “Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests.”

The remark was met with applause from the gallery, while Sanders quickly fired back, denying that corporate money had influenced him. “Oh no, no, no! No, no, no,” he said. “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.”

Kennedy cited OpenSecrets data showing Sanders received over $1.4 million in donations from the pharmaceutical and health products industry during the 2019-20 election cycle, making him the top recipient among senators. In the 2015-16 cycle, he ranked second with $439,256 in contributions.

Sanders defended the donations, arguing they came from employees, not pharmaceutical executives or corporate PACs. “Because I had more contributions from workers all over this country,” he said. “Workers, not a nickel from corporate PACs… from workers in the industry.”

This was not the first time the two clashed. The previous day, Sanders had pressed Kennedy on his ties to Children’s Health Defense, a group he founded. Holding up onesies sold by the organization featuring slogans opposing vaccine mandates, Sanders questioned how Kennedy could claim to be pro-vaccine while his former group profited from anti-vaccine messaging.