Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Defends Health Agenda and Trump HHS Budget Cuts in Capitol Hill Hearing

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. returned to Capitol Hill on Thursday to defend his health agenda and the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts for the Department of Health and Human Services, in his first appearance on Capitol Hill this year.

Kennedy testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, where he “defended his record in running the Department of Health and Human Services” and “played up his agency's accomplishments on a range of issues — from drug price negotiations to the new dietary guidelines.”

NPR

In his opening remarks, Kennedy declared, “We're ending the era of federal policies that fueled the chronic disease epidemic and replacing them with policies that put the health of Americans first,” framing his agenda as a shift away from policies he said contributed to chronic disease.

The hearing also became a focal point for lawmakers pressing him on vaccine policy and vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, as Democrats “took the opportunity to grill Kennedy.”

NPR reported that the hearing included “heated moments,” including a direct exchange with Rep. Linda Sánchez of California about the death of an unvaccinated child from measles during an outbreak in Texas last year.

In a separate line of questioning, Rep. Mike Thompson of California recalled being a school-aged child when polio was still a threat, saying, “Kids have died because measles is running rampant under your watch.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. returned to Capitol Hill on Thursday to defend his health agenda and the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts for the Department of Health and Human Services, in his first appearance on Capitol Hill this year.

Kennedy testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, where he “defended his record in running the Department of Health and Human Services” and “played up his agency's accomplishments on a range of issues — from drug price negotiations to the new dietary guidelines.”

STAT

In his opening remarks, Kennedy declared, “We're ending the era of federal policies that fueled the chronic disease epidemic and replacing them with policies that put the health of Americans first,” framing his agenda as a shift away from policies he said contributed to chronic disease.

The hearing also became a focal point for lawmakers pressing him on vaccine policy and vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, as Democrats “took the opportunity to grill Kennedy.”

NPR reported that the hearing included “heated moments,” including a direct exchange with Rep. Linda Sánchez of California about the death of an unvaccinated child from measles during an outbreak in Texas last year.

In a separate line of questioning, Rep. Mike Thompson of California recalled being a school-aged child when polio was still a threat, saying, “Kids have died because measles is running rampant under your watch.”

The hearing’s most contentious moments centered on vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease, with Democrats pressing Kennedy on measles and the childhood vaccine schedule.

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The Washington Post

NPR reported that Rep. Linda Sánchez, a Democrat from California, pressed Kennedy on “the death of an unvaccinated child from measles during an outbreak in Texas last year,” asking whether the measles vaccine could have saved the child’s life.

Kennedy responded, “It's possible — certainly,” according to NPR’s account of the exchange.

NPR also reported that Democrats questioned Kennedy on “attempts to weaken the childhood vaccine schedule (currently blocked by the courts),” placing the issue of vaccine policy directly into the hearing.

The exchange expanded beyond measles into flu vaccine messaging, with NPR reporting that Rep. Sánchez quipped about a decision by the CDC to end a public awareness campaign to promote the flu vaccine.

Sánchez said, “You suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you're spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk, shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock?” citing a promotional video released by HHS.

While Democrats pressed Kennedy on vaccines and budget cuts, NPR described a “mostly warm reception from Republicans on the committee” who discussed fraud at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, rural health care, and other issues in their districts.

Rep. Aaron Bean of Florida praised Kennedy’s efforts, saying, “Great things are happening. You've elevated the talk about let's get healthy,” and he highlighted Kennedy’s work to get companies to “voluntarily phase out food dyes and incorporate more nutrition education into medical school education.”

STAT

In the same hearing, Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin asked about WIC and SNAP cuts, and NPR reported that Kennedy said “he was not happy” with the cuts, underscoring the tension between the administration’s budget proposals and the health goals lawmakers associated with them.

NPR also reported that Rep. Bradley Scott Schneider of Illinois flagged “the proposed $5.7 billion in cuts to National Institutes of Health funding for research,” and Schneider said, “You're diminishing science.”

Even among Republicans, NPR described at least one instance of criticism: Rep. Blake Moore of Utah offered “light criticism” of Kennedy, citing his pledge to discover the cause of the “autism epidemic.”

NPR reported that President Trump and Kennedy have blamed the use of Tylenol during pregnancy for the condition, and it noted that researchers in the field have rejected that contention, while Moore said, “I was underwhelmed with what we [the Administration] ultimately put out.”

Beyond vaccines and budget figures, STAT described the hearing as a defense of “the administration’s efforts to fight health care fraud and improve affordability,” while also noting that Kennedy “avoided discussions about vaccine policy.”

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STAT

STAT reported that the Ways and Means hearing “covered a wide range of topics related to Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services and kicked off a marathon series of testimonies about the president’s proposed budget.”

NPR

In STAT’s account, Kennedy “shared little new information during the hearing,” but the meeting offered “a window into Kennedy’s shifting messaging strategies,” which STAT said “some White House officials see as a political asset ahead of the midterms.”

STAT also described the messaging strategy as “a political asset” that could carry “potential liabilities because of relatively unpopular vaccine views.”

NPR, meanwhile, reported that Kennedy used the hearing to frame his broader plan for restructuring HHS, including the idea of creating “a new agency — the Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA — by reorganizing and consolidating the Department of Health and Human Services.”

NPR quoted Kennedy saying, “We're going to eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments and agencies while preserving their core functions,” and it said the idea was pushed “in a social media video last March.”