If approved, Kennedy will control a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees food and hospital inspections, hundreds of health clinics, vaccine recommendations and health insurance for roughly half the country.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings made clear that he is unqualified to be HHS secretary even beyond his positions on vaccines, writes Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for HHS secretary, seemed unfamiliar with the massive insurance program during Thursday’s hearing, mistakenly saying Medicare Part A mainly paid for primary care or physicians.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled Wednesday to answer questions about Medicare and Medicaid or to provide details about how he would work to drive down health care costs.

The hearings were packed to capacity with protesters and fans, while the spillover crowd hung out in hallways and overflow rooms.