Senator Bernie Sanders said on Sunday that he is "absolutely open" to impeaching Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., putting the nation's top health official on notice weeks before Democrats take control of the Senate. The Vermont independent, who will chair the Senate health panel from January, made the remark on CNN's "State of the Union" with Dana Bash.

Key Points

• Sen. Bernie Sanders told CNN on Sunday, November 8, that he is "absolutely open" to impeaching HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Bash asked whether he agreed with Sen.-elect Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, who has said Kennedy should be removed.
• Sanders said the country needs an HHS secretary "concerned about the health and well-being of our kids and all Americans, not involved in crazy conspiracy theories."
• He said he will bring Kennedy before the Senate health committee and "ask him some tough questions that have not been asked of him previously."
• An HHS spokesperson said Kennedy "has delivered the most sweeping public health reforms in modern history" and that "threats of impeachment will not distract him."

What Happened

Sanders spoke on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, November 8, five days after the midterms handed Democrats control of the Senate. Host Dana Bash asked him directly whether he agreed with Senator-elect Annie Andrews of South Carolina, who has said Kennedy should be removed from office.

"Absolutely open," Sanders replied, before widening the point beyond any single procedure. "The bottom line is we need a secretary of HHS who is concerned about the health and well-being of our kids and all Americans, not involved in crazy conspiracy theories," he said. "I'm open to all ideas from Dr. Andrews or anybody else."

The exchange was brief, but it carried weight because of the job Sanders is about to hold. As chairman of the Senate health committee, he will control its hearing schedule, subpoena power and legislation affecting the Department of Health and Human Services.

Background: A New Senate Majority Changes the Math

The midterm elections on November 3 reshaped Washington. Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate, and the change in the Senate is what makes Sanders' words matter beyond rhetoric. In the outgoing Republican majority, Kennedy's critics had no committee gavel and no guaranteed hearing. From January, the health committees will be run by Democrats who campaigned against the administration's handling of health care.

Andrews is one of the new senators who will arrive with that mandate. The Charleston pediatrician defeated appointed Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state since 1998 and the first woman ever elected to the Senate from South Carolina. Read more: Annie Andrews stuns Darline Graham to win South Carolina Senate seat in historic upset.

Criticism of Kennedy was central to her campaign, and she will be the Senate's first pediatrician when she takes her seat. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine sceptic confirmed as health secretary earlier this year, has drawn sustained criticism from medical groups, former officials and Democrats over his changes to vaccine policy and public health agency leadership.

Sanders RFK Jr Impeachment: What the Chairman-Designate Is Signalling

Impeachment of a Cabinet secretary is an extreme and rarely used power. The House would have to vote to impeach, and the Senate would then hold a trial requiring a two-thirds majority to convict and remove. Only one Cabinet secretary in American history has ever been impeached — War Secretary William Belknap in 1876, who was acquitted — so the practical bar is very high.

What Sanders is really signalling is the use of the committee's full toolkit. A chairman can compel testimony, demand documents, hold public hearings that dominate the news cycle and build a public record that makes a secretary's position untenable. Sanders has used that playbook before, and his Sunday promise of "tough questions that have not been asked of him previously" was a preview of that approach.

Reactions and Quotes

The sharpest line of the interview was Sanders' own: "The bottom line is we need a secretary of HHS who is concerned about the health and well-being of our kids and all Americans, not involved in crazy conspiracy theories." It was aimed squarely at Kennedy's record of questioning established vaccine science, and was the most direct attack on his fitness for office from a senior Democrat since the election.

Sanders added the open-ended commitment that will follow him into January: "I'm open to all ideas from Dr. Andrews or anybody else." It treats Andrews, who has not yet taken her seat, as a partner in shaping the committee's approach, and leaves every option — hearings, investigations, legislation and impeachment — on the table.

The Department of Health and Human Services pushed back within hours. Spokesperson Grace Jamison said Kennedy "has delivered the most sweeping public health reforms in modern history" and that "threats of impeachment will not distract him." The statement did not say whether Kennedy would accept an invitation to testify.

Why It Matters

The interview matters because it converts a campaign argument into a governing plan. During the midterms, Democrats argued that the administration's health policies were endangering families; now, with the Senate majority and the health committee gavel, Sanders can test that argument in public hearings with the secretary himself in the witness chair.

What Happens Next

The new Congress takes its seats in January, and Sanders will take over the health committee then. His first move, by his own account, will be to bring Kennedy before the panel for questioning, and the hearing is likely to be scheduled early in the session, when the new majority wants to show it is using its power.

Andrews will also take her seat in January, giving the committee a pediatrician's voice. Whether it moves from hearings to a formal impeachment inquiry will depend on what the hearings produce. For now, the administration has given no sign that Kennedy will step aside.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Bernie Sanders say about impeaching RFK Jr.?
On CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Sanders said he is "absolutely open" to impeaching HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

When will Sanders chair the Senate health committee?
He is set to chair the Senate health committee from January 2027, after Democrats won the Senate majority in the November 3, 2026 midterms. Read more: Democrats win Senate control in 2026 midterms, completing Congress sweep.

Who is Annie Andrews?
Annie Andrews is a Charleston pediatrician who defeated appointed Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina on November 3, 2026. She will be the Senate's first pediatrician, and criticism of Kennedy was central to her campaign.

What did the Health Department say in response?
HHS spokesperson Grace Jamison said Kennedy "has delivered the most sweeping public health reforms in modern history" and that "threats of impeachment will not distract him."

Has a Cabinet secretary ever been impeached?
Only once: War Secretary William Belknap was impeached in 1876 and acquitted by the Senate. It requires a House majority vote and a two-thirds Senate vote to convict.