Trump team dodging Republicans’ concerns about RFK on key issue: report

Some Republicans leaders worry that Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services lead nominee — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — is too lenient on reproductive rights to take on the role. Meanwhile, the president-elect's transition team, according to CNN, is privately discussing how to work around those concerns.

"I made clear to them that this needs to be tended to," an anti-abortion activist and leader who commented with the MAGA transition team told the news outlet.

"We have some serious policy and personnel concerns that have been propriety to our community for 30 years. The expectation they’ve given me is they will have an assistant HHS secretary who more aligns with us."

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Per CNN, "Republican senators and anti-abortion leaders have already sounded the alarm about Kennedy, who was running as a Democrat as recently as last year, and his past support for abortion access until fetal viability, which Trump’s team sees as a key vulnerability."

Additionally, the news outlet notes, "Even before Trump selected him, the team had discussed staffing HHS with deputies who are more conservative on reproductive rights to signal that the agency would not deviate from Trump’s position, sources briefed on the discussions said. Once those staffing decisions are made, Kennedy is expected to meet with anti-abortion rights senators on the Hill."

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser told CNN, "There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary, and of course, we have concerns about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I believe that no matter who is HHS secretary, baseline policies set by President Trump during his first term will be re-established."

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CNN's full report is available here.