The cost of opposing RFK Jr.

Jan 14, 2025

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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is seen after speaking at an event.

A campaign to prevent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as HHS secretary has spent upwards of $1 million. | Ian Maule/Getty Images

THE MONEY BEHIND THE ATTACKS — How much money is going into a campaign to convince senators to block the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?

More than $1 million, according to a spokesperson for the “Stop RFK War Room” initiative, helmed by the Democratic-aligned health care advocacy group Protect Our Care, POLITICO’s Daniel Payne reports.

The group’s approach has included lobbying efforts, grassroots advocacy urging Americans to contact their senators, paid advertising in Washington and the states of key senators, and a report on Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric hand-delivered to Senate offices.

Why it matters: The campaigns come as Kennedy has held meetings with Republicans and Democratic senators to secure votes for his confirmation.

On Monday, a longtime GOP lawyer was tapped to be Kennedy’s chief of staff in a bid to add much-needed Beltway experience to the team, POLITICO’s Adam Cancryn and David Lim scooped.

Though several Republicans said they’d back Kennedy or suggested as much after meeting with him, others weren’t as enthusiastic. No Democrats have committed to voting for Kennedy, and if none do, Kennedy can afford to lose only three Republican votes and still go on to lead HHS.

Protect Our Care is “fiscally sponsored” by dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund, a progressive organization that doesn’t disclose its donors. According to its tax filings, it had more than $180 million in revenue in 2023 and has reportedly received contributions from labor unions, environmental groups and Democratic super donors, including investor and philanthropist George Soros.

Other progressive groups are also campaigning to stop Kennedy. 314 Action, a group that supports Democratic scientists running for office, convened Democrats in Congress who are doctors or nurses last week to urge senators to block Kennedy — and has spent six figures on advertising with the same message, according to a spokesperson.

What’s next: The Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees are expected to hold hearings on Kennedy’s confirmation in the coming weeks.

WELCOME TO TUESDAY PULSE. HHS today will unveil the official portrait of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra before his tenure ends Monday. Send your tips, scoops and feedback to ccirruzzo@politico.com and follow along @ChelseaCirruzzo.

A message from AMAC Action:

The Inflation Reduction Act took billions from the Medicare Part D prescription drug program to fund electric vehicle tax credits and green energy investments, and now seniors’ prescription drug premiums are skyrocketing. Seniors are calling on Congress to pause the Inflation Reduction Act and return those funds back to Medicare where they belong. Visit PauseTheIRA.com.

AROUND THE AGENCIES

Doctor sits in chair and communicates with a patient on the computer from his home office.

The DEA has proposed new rules for virtual prescribing of controlled substances. | LM Otero/AP

NEW TELEHEALTH RULE — A proposal by the Drug Enforcement Administration on how providers can prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine left the Office of Management and Budget, meaning it could be released any day, but it’s uncertain how the incoming administration will move forward.

The proposal is the latest attempt by the agency to update restrictions relaxed during the pandemic, allowing many controlled substances like Adderall and testosterone to be prescribed without an in-person visit. The agency has extended those pandemic-era flexibilities three times as it mulls how to move forward permanently. The latest expiration date is set for the end of this year.

How we got here: The DEA had initially intended to impose substantial limits on providers’ ability to prescribe controlled substances virtually in what would have been a significant setback for the telehealth industry. But that plan sparked significant blowback from members of Congress and more than 300 organizations, including the Alliance for Connected Care and the American Telemedicine Association, called on Congress to extend the rules without further restrictions.

According to the notice published on the OMB website, the newest proposal is meant to be “responsive to the general public and industry concerns.”

What’s next? It’s not yet clear what the incoming administration — which could easily not finalize the proposal — intends to do. President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice to lead the DEA took himself out of contention, and Trump has yet to announce a new nominee.

HHS YANKS PREVENTIVE CARE RULE — With just days left in the Biden administration, HHS and the departments of Labor and Treasury rescinded a proposal Monday that would’ve required Affordable Care Act plans to cover certain preventive services, such as over-the-counter contraceptives, without cost-sharing.

Officials said they rescinded the rule, initially proposed in October, to “focus on other matters.” The move comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a broad challenge to the ACA’s coverage of preventive services.

The same agencies ditched another proposed regulation that would’ve expanded access to contraceptives through health plans.

In Congress

VA HEARING POSTPONED — A delay in the FBI background check for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs has led to the rescheduling of his confirmation hearing, POLITICO’s Ben Leonard reports.

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said Monday that former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) has submitted necessary paperwork in a “timely manner” and has been “transparent and forthcoming” with the panel. However, he added, the FBI hasn’t finished its background check of the nominee. Collins was supposed to have his confirmation hearing Tuesday, but it’s been rescheduled for Jan. 21.

It’s the second Trump selection in a single day to see their hearing delayed due to paperwork delays. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to run the Interior Department, was the first.

Collins, who was the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee before he lost his seat in Congress in a failed bid for the Senate, is expected to be confirmed but could face several difficult questions, including those related to a budget shortfall at the agency and his plans to handle thorny issues like abortion.

A message from AMAC Action:

Artificial Intelligence

KEY AI JOBS FILLED — With less than a week left in the Biden administration, HHS announced three hires Monday for key artificial intelligence policy roles, POLITICO’s Ruth Reader reports.

Why it matters: The hires follow the release Friday of HHS’ AI strategy, which called for collaboration with the private sector to advance the technology and ensure its safety.

But it’s unclear whether the hires, or the strategy, will stick. President-elect Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s approach to AI during his campaign and pledged to rescind Biden’s 2023 executive order that called on agencies to develop plans to regulate the technology.

Alicia Rouault, previously an official with the United States Digital Service, a White House office that consults with federal agencies on technology matters, is HHS’ new chief technology officer and associate deputy assistant secretary for technology policy.

Dr. Meghan Dierks is HHS’ new chief artificial intelligence officer. She previously was chief data officer at Komodo Health, a medical data analytics company. She’s also been a Harvard Medical School assistant professor and once worked at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

HHS also hired Kristen Honey as chief data officer. She was previously the agency’s chief data scientist and was a White House policy adviser in the Trump and Obama administrations.

Names in the News

Leanne Berge, chief executive officer of Community Health Plan Washington, has been elected as chair of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans’ board of directors.

Dr. Brian Miller, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, has been named to the North Carolina State Health Plan’s board of trustees.

WHAT WE'RE READING

POLITICO's Ben Leonard writes that House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are set to meet today to discuss health care policy in a budget reconciliation package.

The New York Times reports on how lagging vaccination rates can reintroduce polio.

The Associated Press reports that researchers say dementia rates will double by 2060.

A message from AMAC Action:

The IRA took money from Medicare Part D to fund EV tax credits under the guise of a fake “drug price negotiation.” As premiums are skyrocketing, seniors are demanding their money back.

70% of seniors are calling on Congress to pause the Inflation Reduction Act.

85% of them want the money that was taken from Medicare to fund EV tax credits to be returned to Medicare where it belongs.

Congress: It’s time to pause the IRA and fix what it broke, first by giving money back to Medicare.

Visit PauseTheIRA.com to learn more.