WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump is standing behind Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he faced a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Members of the Senate Finance Committee grilled the head of HHS in often heated exchanges as the hearing centered on Kennedy’s controversial views on vaccines, including his moves to discredit and limit access to certain vaccines.
In one fiery exchange after another, senators like Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) demanded answers, pressing Kennedy on denying pharmacies access to COVID vaccines. He didn’t back down.
“Let’s clear this up right now, Secretary Kennedy,” Sen. Warren said.
Kennedy replied, “We’re not going to recommend a product for which there’s no clinical data for that indication, which, is that what I should be doing?”
“What you should be doing is honoring your promise that you made when you were looking to get confirmed in this job,” Warren said. “You promised that you would not take away vaccines from anyone who wanted them. You just changed the classification of the COVID vaccine.”
Kennedy interjected, “I’m not taking them away from people, senator.”
During his six months on the job, Kennedy has upended his Health and Human Services agency, while critics say the CDC has borne the brunt of his efforts.
“You are a hazard to the American people. I think that you ought to resign,” Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock argued in the wake of recent ripple effects throughout his state.
In just one month, the CDC faced a fatal shooting at its Atlanta headquarters, laid off 600 workers, and lost five of its top leaders.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis pointed to more recent firings and cuts to funding. “The canceling of mRNA research contracts, firing advisory board members, attempting to stop NIH funding, eliminating funding for the, I think a half $1 billion for further vaccine, I’m sorry, mRNA research and, I just want an answer for it,” said Tillis.
Kennedy’s testimony comes more than a week after he fired former CDC Director Susan Monarez, prompting four other top officials to resign in protest.
“If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’t allow public health to be undermined,” said Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming. The orthopedic surgeon shared deep concerns the cuts to research funding could put some vaccines in jeopardy.
Still, Kennedy defended his decisions. “Americans have lost faith in CDC, and we need to restore that faith. And we’re going to do that by telling the truth,” said Kennedy.
As the heated three-hour-long hearing continued, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) pressed the secretary about keeping rural pharmacies open and combating the over-prescribing of stimulant drugs for children.
Blackburn said, “There’s a lot of reporting out there on this and tremendous concern for grandmommas like me who see children and friends of our grandchildren who suffer with this.”
Kennedy answered, “We now have one out of every five kids on these drugs and the antidepressants, even more. And we know very little about the long-term impacts because NIH and CDC have been asleep at the wheel.”
Kennedy maintains that the HHS is extensively researching these drugs to eventually warn parents and force companies to put labels on their products.
