Robert Kennedy Jr. Speaks Out Against Vaccine Bills

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Calling the federal agency that oversees vaccines a "sock puppet" for that industry, Robert Kennedy Jr. is calling for regulatory reforms.

Kennedy spoke Monday at a news conference alongside groups that oppose mandatory vaccinations of children. They want to defeat bills in the Legislature that would make it harder for parents to exempt their children.

Kennedy says the pharmaceutical industry profits from the Centers for Disease Control's decisions to approve vaccines. Kennedy has called for the CDC to undergo more scrutiny.

Lawmakers in New Jersey are pushing bills that allow parents to exempt their children from mandatory vaccines only for medical and religious reasons.

Kennedy is the nephew of former President John Kennedy and the son of Robert Kennedy, the former U.S. attorney general.