Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s health secretary pick, meets with lawmakers

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for health secretary, began meeting with Republican lawmakers late Monday afternoon to make his case for a spot in Trump’s Cabinet.

Kennedy, in the first of more than 20 planned meetings with Republicans, visited Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a staunch ally of Trump who has predicted that Kennedy will be confirmed to the post, despite facing scrutiny over his longtime anti-vaccine stance. Scott said they did not discuss Kennedy’s position on the polio vaccine, which has come under recent scrutiny since his lawyer asked the FDA to revoke the vaccine’s approval.

“We both have the same goal with regard to vaccines,” Scott said, speaking about himself and Kennedy. “We want to give people more information so they can make informed decisions.” Kennedy is expected to be questioned repeatedly about his views on vaccines and his stance on abortion access, which some social conservatives have criticized. He has said that he does not want to take away access to vaccines, but has questioned their safety, trying to link them to a rise in autism in children — a debunked theory.