Pence urges Senate to reject RFK Jr. for HHS over abortion stance

Mike Pence is urging Senate Republicans to not confirm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, calling his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump “deeply concerning.”

“I believe the nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS is an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration and should be deeply concerning to millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our nominees for decades,” Pence said in a statement Friday on behalf of his conservative nonprofit Advancing American Freedom.

During his own bid for president, Kennedy repeatedly emphasized he believes in “a woman’s right to choose” and does not support legislation banning abortion. Kennedy is a “firm supporter” of Roe v. Wade, according to his campaign website, which says “If the courts do not overturn Dobbs v. Jackson and restore abortion rights, he will support legislation to accomplish the same.”

Pence served as Trump’s vice president during his first administration, but their relationship soured after the Indiana Republican moved to certify the 2020 election for President Joe Biden. Since then, he has publicly disagreed with Trump and the Republican party on policy positions, especially leaving abortion up to the states instead of favoring a national ban.

In the statement, Pence said the agency Trump tapped Kennedy to lead makes “hundreds of decisions” daily “that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it.”

“If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history,” Pence said in the statement.