Senate Democrats flag conflicts on RFK Jr. health panel
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- Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden sent a letter Tuesday to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz expressing 'serious concerns' about credibility and financial conflicts among members of the Healthcare Advisory Committee.
- The Healthcare Advisory Committee, announced in March, consists of 18 members selected from a pool of 400 candidates that Kennedy and Oz said they reviewed.
- Committee members include motivational coach Tony Robbins, a venture capitalist who previously worked alongside Kennedy's son, and several health care executives.
- Merkley, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, both represent Oregon in raising the questions.
Why it matters: Two ranking members on the Senate committees that oversee federal health spending and the federal budget are now formally on record challenging the makeup of a flagship Kennedy-era advisory panel, giving congressional Democrats an opening to scrutinize his health policy picks before the panel shapes recommendations.
