During the confirmation process for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune emphasized the importance of addressing Kennedy's comments linking vaccines to autism. Thune stated that he expects Kennedy to provide answers to these questions as part of the confirmation process.
Thune highlighted the commitment to ensuring a fair process for all nominees and mentioned that Kennedy will have the opportunity to address concerns during meetings and in front of the relevant committee.
Regarding outreach to Democratic senators by the Trump transition team, Thune acknowledged efforts made but noted instances where nominees had not received responses from Democrats. He mentioned that nominees have been reaching out to both Republicans and Democrats, with varying degrees of success in making contact.
Thune expressed that nominees are making efforts to engage with relevant committee members from both parties. However, he mentioned a case where a nominee had not yet succeeded in establishing contact with Democrats despite attempts to do so.