Senator Bernie Sanders on Thursday praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s messaging on food issues, and said he has not made a decision about whether he would accept President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Kennedy to head the nation's health agencies. Will you oppose going or not?
In an interview with CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand, the independent Vermont senator said he fears some Kennedy's views Kennedy's call on health issues criticized as “extremely dangerous” pull fluoride Out of American water supply systems and their “very wrong” ideas vaccines,
But the Vermont independent also said he might be able to find common ground to work with Kennedy, reiterating his criticism of the food industry's influence in Washington.
“I think what he's saying about the food industry is absolutely spot on,” Sanders told Brand. “I think the food industry is more concerned about their profits than they are about the health of the American people.” Maybe. I think they have to pay attention to it.” ,
Sanders, who currently serves as chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said he last spoke to Kennedy years ago. He said he looks forward to sitting down and talking with Trump's picks to head other health agencies, who will report to Kennedy.
“For years Trump and Kennedy himself have talked about this as a health problem, about the fact that we pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. And if I'm not mistaken, Kennedy There's been talk about the need for Americans to not be paid more than people in other countries, I think that's absolutely right,” he said.
Sanders spoke to Brand one after another hearing Where he criticized Biden administration Food and Drug Administration officials for failing to address the “terrible epidemic” of obesity and diabetes in the US.
Sanders said, “Do I think the FDA has shown the urgency needed to respond to this crisis? No, I don't. That's what I tried to say today.”
Sanders' position on Kennedy was in sharp contrast to that of Senator Ed Markey, who also sits on the committee.
The Massachusetts Democrat said during the hearing, “Some people will say that what he says on diet and the importance of healthy foods is reasonable. However, a reasonable opinion is not enough for someone to run the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Doesn't make you eligible.”
Sanders declined to comment on Markey's comments when asked.
“We are decades behind”
At the hearing, FDA officials defended the agency's work on food issues, deflecting many of the agency's criticisms at lawmakers for falling short in the Biden administration's budget requests on issues such as reviewing the safety of chemicals added to foods.
“We're decades behind our European and our Canadian counterparts, because they have a legal mandate to reevaluate chemicals that were authorized at some point in the past. We don't do that, but we're going to do it. But we certainly We're going to struggle with the resources needed to do this,” said Jim Jones, FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf also warned that the agency faces an increasingly difficult battle to implement the new rules, similar to long-stalled efforts. to move forward A new “healthy” standard and nutrition label that would appear on the front of food packages would also ban on cigarettes,
“Given the current state of judicial cases, First Amendment rights, the fact that corporations have the same rights as individuals, all the little things we do, unless specifically directed by Congress, it It's not just that we lose in court, but we lose for years,” Califf said.
One long awaited change that may soon be seen is the ban on food dyes. red number 3For which advocacy groups have filed a petition. California last year became the first state to ban food dyes due to health concerns.
“We hope to take action on that petition and have a decision in the next few weeks,” Jones said.
In a confrontation with Califf, Sanders urged Califf to call out “the food and beverage industry, whose greed is destroying the health of millions” for their role in slowing progress on the agency's food policies.
Califf told the committee that the agency was facing “direct opposition from powerful industry forces” on issues such as food chemical safety, but he also refused to “condemn the people who work in the food and beverage industry.” .
“We have an industry that if you tried to change overnight, there are farmers all over the United States who would not be able to grow the crops they are currently growing. So there needs to be a plan and it needs to be implemented.” There is a need across the country in a mature thoughtful manner,” Califf said.