When Democrats take over Congress in January, one of their many oversight targets will be Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose overhaul of longstanding vaccine guidance and cuts to medical research over the past two years have drawn fiery criticism.
asserted
overhaul → take → criticism
Some high-ranking lawmakers have suggested impeaching him.
uncertain
lawmakers → rank → him
But those efforts could conflict with another growing priority for many lawmakers on the left: nurturing areas of common ground with Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again followers with the aim of securing their political support.
uncertain
America → conflict → support
It could prove a difficult balance, since many MAHA activists whom Democrats are courting as part of their new coalition still view Kennedy as their closest ally.
uncertain
Democrats → prove → ally
“It’s an unenviable position for Democrats to be in,” said Matt Motta, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health.
asserted
Motta → ’ → Health
In addition to treading carefully not to upset MAHA voters, Motta said, the lawmakers will also have to answer to a left-leaning base that wants more accountability from Kennedy on vaccines as measles outbreaks surge around the country.
asserted
outbreaks → tread → country
Some members of the MAHA movement said they’re eager to work with Democrats to pass legislation on shared interests, like regulating pesticides and making school lunches healthier.
asserted
lunches → say → pesticides
But extensive investigations into Kennedy, or hostility toward him, could complicate those collaborations.
uncertain
investigations → complicate → collaborations
“I’m not saying that the Democratic leadership can’t continue to have an irrational war on Secretary Kennedy until they collapse,” said Mark Gorton, president of the Kennedy-aligned MAHA Institute.
asserted
Gorton → say → Institute
“But when they do that, they alienate all the MAHA voters out there, the people who really care about fighting corporate capture.”
asserted
who → do → capture
Democrats are ready to hold Kennedy’s feet to the fire
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat before running for president as an independent in 2024 and then throwing his support behind President Donald Trump’s campaign, has repeatedly clashed with his former party since joining the Trump administration.
asserted
Kennedy → hold → administration
Democrats have assailed his Health and Human Services Department for sweeping staffing cuts unleashed as part of Trump’s government efficiency push and for the decision to eliminate areas of scientific study that the administration deemed too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
asserted
administration → assail → diversity
They’ve also grilled him in congressional hearings over his efforts to change government vaccine policies while sidestepping long-held protocols for that reform.
asserted
They → grill → reform
Accordingly, when Democrats swept the midterm elections last week, many took to social media to call for Kennedy to vacate his position.
“Unless RFK Jr. is interested in spending the next two years in front of congressional committees, he should go ahead and resign now,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., wrote on social media.
asserted
Warnock → sweep → media
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., most likely the next chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has vowed to investigate Kennedy’s “wrongdoing.”
asserted
Raskin → vow → wrongdoing
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said on CNN that Kennedy should be one of two high-priority targets for impeachment for the House majority next year.
asserted
Kennedy → say → majority
And Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is poised to take over the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over Kennedy’s department, told the network he is “absolutely open” to that idea.
asserted
he → poise → idea
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who is expected next year to chair another committee with HHS jurisdiction, the Senate Finance Committee, told The Associated Press he plans to hold Kennedy and the administration accountable “for actions that have harmed children, raised health costs, and made America less healthy.”
asserted
America → expect → costs
He already launched two investigations this week into Kennedy — one into the accuracy of his testimony about a 2019 trip to Samoa and the other into his reported acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts.
asserted
He → launch → gifts
“For those that have broken the law and betrayed the trust of taxpayers and American families, nothing should be off the table,” Wyden said.
asserted
Wyden → break → table
But Democrats also see MAHA followers as potential supporters
Even as many Democrats want to see Kennedy answer for his actions, others are open to working with him – and certainly with his followers.
asserted
others → see → followers
With at least some aspects of the sprawling MAHA movement resonating with U.S. adults of both parties, such as reducing processed foods and addressing government corruption, the new Congress creates a rare opportunity for coalition building.
asserted
Congress → sprawl → building
It also helps Democrats that many MAHA followers have soured on the Republican Trump administration, seeing recent actions like an executive order boosting pesticide use as a betrayal of their trust.
asserted
followers → help → trust
More cracks in that support have emerged since the election.
asserted
cracks → emerge → election
Calley Means, a former administration adviser and top MAHA advocate recently accused White House officials of catering to foreign and domestic lobbyists at the expense of Americans’ health.
asserted
Means → accuse → health
But in the interviews where he made those accusations, he also praised Kennedy.
asserted
he → make → Kennedy
Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker are among those who have teamed up with MAHA activists to devise proposals on topics like regenerative agriculture, healthy school lunches and liability for pesticide manufacturers.
asserted
who → team → manufacturers
Pingree told the AP she hopes that cooperation can continue, even though many of her MAHA-aligned contacts remain strong supporters of Kennedy.
asserted
many → tell → Kennedy
Whether Democratic colleagues try to impeach Kennedy is “out of my hands,” she said.
asserted
she → try → hands
But “if he’s still there, I’m hoping we can continue to work on some of these things and make whatever gains we can.”
asserted
we → ’ → gains
McGovern said he’s been clear with MAHA leaders he works with that “we need to hold RFK Jr. accountable for his broken promises and lying to his supporters while enabling the corruption he swore he would stand up to.”
asserted
he → say → corruption
“The MAHA leaders I’m talking to quietly agree and are ready to move forward together to actually fix the broken status quo in Washington,” he said.
asserted
he → talk → Washington
New Democratic additions to Congress are also cautiously open to working with Kennedy and his followers.
asserted
additions → work → Kennedy
Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, has called Kennedy a grifter and told the AP he wants to understand how his department made decisions over the past two years on issues like vaccine recommendations.
asserted
department → call → recommendations
But he said he could still collaborate with Kennedy on policies to make America healthier, on one condition.
uncertain
America → say → condition
“If he wants to be evidence driven, I’ll work with him,” El-Sayed said.
asserted
Sayed → want → him
Boosting health affordability could be Democrats’ most urgent task
Democrats will also be balancing MAHA-minded legislation with goals that resonate with an even wider swath of Americans: lowering health costs and boosting healthcare access.
uncertain
that → boost → access
They plan to vote quickly to reinstate the healthcare tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which expired in late 2025, leaving millions of Americans confronting higher health insurance costs.
asserted
which → plan → costs
Proposals are also ready to reverse the Medicaid funding reductions that Republicans put in place as part of their sweeping bill of tax breaks and program cuts, including new work requirements for recipients.
asserted
Republicans → reverse → recipients
Motta said Democrats’ ability to pass those kinds of changes will be one of the most important factors for keeping support among the independent and swing voters who cast ballots for them this year.
asserted
who → say → them
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
