President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans say they have a mandate to govern. But an uneasy question is emerging: Will there be any room for dissent in the U.S. Congress?
Even before taking office, Trump is challenging the Senate, in particular, to dare defy him over the nominations of Matt Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other controversial choices for his Cabinet and administration positions.
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Here’s the latest:
Voters held divided views on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife Cheryl Hines arrive before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Alex Brandon
That’s according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. About 4 in 10 voters had a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Kennedy, and roughly 4 in 10 had a very or somewhat unfavorable view. Slightly more than 1 in 10 did not know enough about Kennedy to have an opinion.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance may be at odds with many voters’ interests, if he’s confirmed to lead the Health and Human Services Department. About half of voters said they wanted the government to be “more involved” in ensuring children are vaccinated for childhood diseases. About one-quarter said the government’s current involvement is “about right,” and only about 2 in 10 wanted the government less involved. Roughly 3 in 10 parents of children under 18 years old want the government less involved, compared to about 2 in 10 voters without children under 18.
About 6 in 10 voters said they wanted the government more involved in ensuring that Americans have health care coverage, and a similar share said they wanted the government to take a bigger role in forgiving medical debt. About three-quarters wanted the government more involved in lowering the cost of prescription drugs. In an election where pocketbook concerns were a primary focus, more than half of voters said they were “very concerned” about their health care costs.
WHO says global vaccine efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives
In a report released in April, the U.N.’s World Health Organization said global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past half-century, roughly equivalent to six lives every minute of every year. More than 101 million lives were those of children.
Asked in Geneva on Friday about the nomination of anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris told reporters it’s up to member countries — the U.S. is one of the biggest funders and sources of technical support to the U.N. agency — to decide who they appoint.
She also said vaccines were “absolutely critical” to good health outcomes.
“Vaccines are the reason so many more of us have survived to adulthood than we ever did before,” said Harris. “Vaccine-preventable diseases have disappeared in the communities … where vaccination has been widely available and has been widely taken up.”
Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him
After a resounding election victory, delivering what President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans said is a mandate to govern, an uneasy political question is emerging: Will there be any room for dissent in the U.S. Congress?
Trump is laying down a gauntlet even before taking office challenging the Senate, in particular, to dare defy him over the nominations of Matt Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other controversial choices for his Cabinet and administration positions.
The promise of unified government, with the Republican Party’s sweep of the White House and GOP majorities in the House and Senate, is making way for a more complicated political reality as congressional leaders confront anew what it means to line up with Trump’s agenda.
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