'I’ve had conversations': How Trump’s Ex-FDA chief is swaying GOP senators against RFK Jr

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who President-elect Donald Trump's picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, may be in for a tougher confirmation battle than previously believed.

According to a Friday article in healthcare publication Stat, former Food & Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Scott Gottlieb — who served in the role for two years under Trump's first administration — is growing more confident that RFK Jr. won't get the 51 Senate votes he needs next year. Gottlieb said there is an increased level of "skepticism in the Republican caucus [on RFK Jr.’s nomination], more than the press is reporting right now."

"I’ve had conversations, and I’ve raised my concerns and I will continue to raise my concerns,” Gottlieb told CNBC's Squawk Box.

READ MORE: 'Game changer': This new Biden HHS proposal is likely to trigger a huge fight with RFK Jr.

Gottlieb said he's enlisting Republican senators in his cause to sink RFK Jr.'s nomination using three core arguments: Large agricultural interests who could spend big against incumbent Republicans in future elections due to RFK Jr.'s positions on the American food industry, his past support for abortion rights and his opposition to childhood vaccines ruffling the feathers of "public health-minded" senators.

He's also cautioning senators against weighing their confirmation vote against using their position to box RFK Jr. in by threatening to withhold appropriations for HHS. He pointed out that Congress already has immense difficulty in passing government funding bills and doubted that there would political will in a Republican-controlled Congress to deny funding to a Republican executive branch.

"That's not going to be successful," Gottlieb said.

The former FDA commissioner also warned that RFK Jr.'s calls to revamp childhood vaccines could bring back a resurgence of measles and could "cost lives" if he takes the reins of HHS. RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearing will likely take place in the days following Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025.

READ MORE: 'Grim': Former Trump FDA chief warns new administration 'will cost lives'

Click here to read Stat's report in full.