Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified during back-to-back hearings in the House and Senate on Wednesday for the first time since his confirmation.
Kennedy faced questions on vaccines, canceled medical research and his drastic overhaul of the federal health agency during the hearings about President Trump’s budget request, which could lead to even greater cuts.
Here are some key takeaways:
Defends vaccine messaging
Democrats used the hearings to hammer Kennedy on his vaccine messaging.
Amid the deadliest measles outbreak in decades, the secretary has muddied his message about the importance of the measles shot in an effort to appeal to both the general public and anti-vaccine hard-liners.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) pressed Kennedy on new standards for vaccine approvals and on his comments about the measles shot.
“You told the public that the vaccine wanes very quickly. You went on the ‘Dr. Phil’ show and said the measles vaccine was never fully tested for safety. You said there was fetal debris in the measles vaccine,” Murphy said Wednesday afternoon.
“All true,” Kennedy shouted. “Do you want me to lie to the public?”
“None of that is true,” Murphy retorted.
Earlier in the day, House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) told Kennedy he was “promoting quackery.”
“Under your watch, our country is now failing to contain vaccine-preventable diseases,” she added.
When asked by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) if he would choose to vaccinate his own children today against measles, Kennedy hesitated a bit before answering: “Probably.”
Kennedy has previously said he vaccinated his now-adult children but regrets that decision.
“What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
He did not directly answer whether he’d vaccinate his children against polio or chickenpox, and he said he thinks vaccination is a personal choice.
Doesn’t know full details of department cuts
Kennedy defiantly defended his overhaul of HHS, even as he seemed hazy on some of the details and the impact of putting 10,000 employees on administrative leave.
“We had to act quickly” on the layoffs, Kennedy said in response to questions from Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.). “We understood there would be some mistakes made and that we would go back and reverse them … but it was more important to do decisive action quickly.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) asked Kennedy about funding delays and cuts that would threaten domestic violence-prevention programs.
“My understanding is that the domestic violence funding was not cut,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know why people would be experiencing even delays.”
But Murkowski pointed out that because of the agency layoffs “it may be that you don’t have people processing these things.”
Kennedy dodged some specific questions about the reorganization of HHS, citing a court order. But he claimed it was his decision to fire probationary employees and that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency provided information to aid the effort.
“I pushed back on certain ones and canceled certain ones,” Kennedy said.
Speaking broadly, he denied that many HHS offices were being eliminated, saying instead that some were being transferred to the Administration for a Healthy America, a new office proposed by the Trump administration.
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) asked Kennedy exactly how many HHS employees have been laid off since January. Kennedy stated 10,000 people had been laid off and 10,000 more chose the Trump administration’s “fork in the road” deferred resignation offer.
“They’re being paid to do nothing,” Frankel surmised.
“Well … a lot of them are supposed to be coming in still,” Kennedy responded.
“But they’re coming in to do nothing,” Frankel pushed back. “They’re not allowed to work.”
“No, no. We want them working,” Kennedy insisted.
Republicans want answers too
GOP lawmakers zeroed in on moves by the Trump administration that impact their constituents on Wednesday as well.
While not directly undermining Kennedy or questioning major moves, such as agency layoffs, Republicans pushed for answers on different parts of his agenda. Their questions showed a willingness to push back on “Make American Healthy Again” priorities, particularly if the department’s efforts conflicted with their districts’ livelihoods.
In the House, Republican lawmakers sought answers on how new regulations would affect their districts. They thanked Kennedy for reinstating some fired workers and sought assurances that programs crucial to their constituents would be reinstated.
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) questioned how expensive the Food and Drug Administration’s initiative to phase out artificial food dyes would be for the snack food manufacturers in his district.
“I think these dyes are safe. They’ve been approved but really trying to find substitutes — the costs we’ve seen estimate five to 10 times to try to fix that,” Fleischmann said, asking that Kennedy work with him on both the cost and the safety of any new dyes used to replace the ones being phased out.
Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) sought assurances from Kennedy that employees and programs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) would be fully restored. Hundreds of NIOSH employees, including those at a Morgantown facility in Moore’s district, had been laid off before being rehired this week by Kennedy.
The West Virginia Republican also asked for guarantees that the Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program and the Respirator Approval Program at NIOSH will be fully reinstated.
First testimony in front of Cassidy
Wednesday was also the first time Kennedy testified in front of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions who publicly wrestled with whether or not to confirm Kennedy.
Cassidy ultimately voted for Kennedy after receiving promises from Kennedy and the Trump administration to be kept informed about any controversial decisions made by the department.
“I will carefully watch for any effort to wrongfully sow public fear about vaccines,” Cassidy said at the time.
But while Cassidy pressed Kennedy hard in his confirmation hearing, especially about Kennedy’s long-standing false claim that vaccines cause autism, he took a much softer tone on Wednesday.
“Much of the conversation around HHS’s agenda has been set by anonymous sources in the media and individuals with a bias against the president,” Cassidy said in his opening statement. “Americans need direct reassurance from the administration, from you Mr. Secretary, that its reforms will make their lives easier, not harder.”
Cassidy did not directly ask Kennedy about vaccines on Wednesday.
At one point, he interjected to correct the record when Kennedy said no vaccine except the COVID-19 shot had been evaluated against a placebo.
“The rotavirus, measles and HPV vaccines have been and some vaccines are tested against previous versions,” Cassidy said.
