A fiery exchange erupted in the Senate on Thursday when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) of benefiting from the very pharmaceutical industry he claims to oppose. The confrontation took place during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, where he directly challenged Sanders on his campaign donations from Big Pharma.

“Bernie, the problem of corruption isn’t just in the federal agencies—it’s in Congress too,” Kennedy said. “Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” The remark drew loud applause from those attending the hearing, frustrating Sanders, who immediately denied the claim.

Watch Bernie Sanders Squirm as RFK Jr. Calls Out His Big Pharma Money to His Face

SANDERS: “If we want to make America healthy, will you… guarantee health care to every single American?”

KENNEDY: “Bernie, the problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies. It’s in… pic.twitter.com/2Rv40MOoTc

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) January 30, 2025

Sanders, known for railing against corporate influence in healthcare, has taken substantial sums from the pharmaceutical industry over multiple election cycles. Data from OpenSecrets shows he received $439,256 in pharmaceutical-related donations in 2015-16 and led all senators in 2019-20 with $1.4 million.

RFK Jr has exposed the sad truth of the @TheDemocrats and how together with the Pharm business..the pockets of politicians have been lined..we can assume that both have integrated agendas..@DOJCrimDiv @FBI …do not sweep this outburst under the rug ..there is smoke here…Sanders… pic.twitter.com/VjPScMemQE

— Pissed Off Neanderthal🟦 🇺🇸 (@WooPig83) January 31, 2025

The Vermont senator erupted in response to Kennedy’s comments, waving his arms and shouting, “No, no, no! I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from executives, not one nickel from PACs. They came from workers.”

My favorite moment so far in the confirmation hearings? Watching RFK, Jr., pull Bernie Sanders' trigger. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/3BAIBPGmhm

— Ruth E. Brown 🇺🇲 (@RuthEBrown8888) January 31, 2025

Kennedy, however, was quick to counter, stating that Sanders was the single largest recipient of pharmaceutical-linked money in the 2020 election cycle. While Sanders attempted to justify the funding as coming from employees rather than corporate executives, the fact remains that his campaign was heavily funded by individuals working for companies he claims to fight against.

The clash highlights a deeper contradiction in Sanders’ push for government-controlled healthcare. While he promotes himself as a fighter against pharmaceutical greed, Kennedy’s remarks exposed a financial connection that raises doubts about his true motivations. Despite Sanders’ insistence that his funding comes from grassroots donors, the numbers suggest a different reality.