NEW YORK (AP) – When Democrats take control of Congress in January, one of their many surveillance targets will be Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose long-standing policy overhaul vaccine advice and cut to medical research over the past two years have attracted strong criticism. Some high-ranking lawmakers have suggested impeaching him.
But those efforts could conflict with another growing priority for many left-leaning lawmakers: cultivating common ground with Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again supporters, in an effort to win their political support.
That could prove a difficult balance, as many of the MAHA activists Democrats are courting as part of their new coalition still view Kennedy as a their closest ally.
“It’s an unenviable position for Democrats to be in,” said Matt Motta, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. In addition to treading carefully not to upset MAHA voters, Motta said, lawmakers will also have to respond to a left-wing base that wants Kennedy to be more accountable on vaccines as measles outbreaks surge across the country.
Some members of the MAHA movement said they look forward to working with Democrats to pass common interests legislation, such as regulate pesticides and make school meals healthier. But in-depth investigations into Kennedy, or hostility toward him, could complicate those collaborations.
“I’m not saying that Democratic leaders can’t continue to wage an irrational war against Secretary Kennedy until they collapse,” said Mark Gorton, president of the Kennedy-aligned MAHA Institute. “But when they do that, they alienate all of MAHA’s voters, the ones who really care about fighting corporate capture.” »
Democrats are ready to keep Kennedy on fire
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat before running for president as an independent in 2024 and later supporting President Donald Trump’s campaign, has repeatedly clashed with his former party since joining the Trump administration.
Democrats attacked his Department of Health and Human Services for sweeping staff cuts unleashed as part of Trump’s government efficiency drive and for the decision to eliminate fields of scientific study that the administration deemed too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
They also questioned him in congressional hearings about his efforts to change government vaccine policy while circumventing longstanding protocols for such reform.
As a result, when Democrats won the midterm elections last week, many took to social media to call on Kennedy to leave office.
“Unless RFK Jr. wants to spend the next two years before congressional committees, he should resign now,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, wrote on social media.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, likely the next chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has vowed to investigate Kennedy’s “wrongdoing.” Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said on CNN that Kennedy should be one of two priority impeachment targets for the House majority next year. And Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is set to take the helm of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over Kennedy’s department, told the network he is “absolutely open” to the idea.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who next year is expected to chair another committee under HHS jurisdiction, the Senate Finance Committee, told The Associated Press that he plans to hold Kennedy and the administration accountable “for actions that have harmed children, increased health care costs and made America less healthy.”
He has already launched two investigations into Kennedy this week – one into the the accuracy of his testimony about a 2019 trip to Samoa and the other about his acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts.
“For those who broke the law and betrayed the trust of taxpayers and American families, nothing should be off the table,” Wyden said.
But Democrats also view MAHA supporters as potential supporters.
Although many Democrats want to see Kennedy held accountable, others are willing to work with him — and certainly with his supporters.
With at least some aspects of the sprawling MAHA movement resonating with American adults in both parties, such as cutting back on processed foods and fighting government corruption, the new Congress creates a rare opportunity for coalition building. It also helps Democrats that many MAHA supporters have soured on the Republican Trump administration, viewing recent actions like an executive order encouraging pesticide use as a betrayal of their trust.
New cracks in that support have appeared since the election. Calley Means, former administrative advisor and chief advocate of MAHA recently accused White House officials are catering to foreign and domestic lobbyists at the expense of Americans’ health. But in interviews in which he made these accusations, he also praised Kennedy.
Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker are among those who have joined with MAHA activists to develop proposals on topics including regenerative agriculture, healthy school meals and pesticide manufacturer accountability.
Pingree told the AP she hopes cooperation can continue, even though many of her MAHA-aligned contacts remain staunch Kennedy supporters. Whether fellow Democrats will try to impeach Kennedy is “out of my control,” she said.
But “if he’s still there, hopefully we can continue to work on some of these things and make whatever gains we can.”
McGovern said he has been clear with the MAHA leaders he works with that “we must hold RFK Jr. accountable for his broken promises and lies to his supporters while enabling the corruption he swore to resist.”
“The MAHA leaders I speak with are quietly in agreement and ready to move forward together to address the broken status quo in Washington,” he said.
Democratic newcomers to Congress are also cautiously willing to work with Kennedy and his supporters. Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, called Kennedy a crook and told the AP he wanted to understand how his department made decisions over the past two years on issues such as vaccine recommendations. But he said he could still collaborate with Kennedy on policies to make America healthier, on one condition.
“If he wants to rely on evidence, I will work with him,” El-Sayed said.
Making health care affordable could be Democrats’ most urgent task
Democrats will also balance MAHA-inspired legislation with goals that resonate with an even broader group of Americans: reducing health care costs and improving access to health care.
They plan to vote quickly to restore health care tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, which expired at the end of 2025, leaving millions of Americans facing higher health insurance costs. The proposals are also set to roll back the Medicaid funding cuts that Republicans implemented as part of their radical bill tax breaks and program reductions, including new work requirements for recipients.
Motta said Democrats’ ability to enact these kinds of changes will be one of the most important factors in retaining the support of independent and undecided voters who voted for them this year.
“Above all, people want the price of health care to go down,” he said. “Those who can do this for themselves are the ones who will be rewarded at the ballot box. »
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