Concerns have been raised about RFK Jr – who previously said he opposed any government limits on abortion at the state or federal level – and his confirmation by the Republican majority Senate

As HHS secretary, Kennedy has the authority, working with the FDA commissioner, to reorganize the agency without congressional approval. He says he wants to fully eliminate “entire departments” at the FDA, listing as a top target the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, which he says can’t be trusted to do its job.

Donald Trump’s transition team is quietly strategizing how to assuage the anti-abortion wing of the Republican Party amid concerns that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s past comments supporting abortion access could complicate his confirmation as the president-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.