Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified on Wednesday before the Senate lawmakers who arguably hold the most power in advancing or hindering his Make America Healthy Again agenda.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing put the secretary face-to-face with Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), whose vote to confirm Kennedy last year came with a number of promises on vaccine policy that Kennedy has since blown through.
To name one: Kennedy has only visited HELP once since getting confirmed (also to discuss the White House’s budget), despite Cassidy saying the secretary would check in quarterly.
His visit also comes as the committee stalls on advancing Casey Means, Kennedy’s nominee for surgeon general, over her lack of medical practice experience and feeble answers on the importance of vaccination. HELP will also have to approve President Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Erica Schwartz.
On Tuesday, GOP lawmakers pushed back on the Trump administration’s plans to enact budget cuts at Kennedy’s department, including significant reductions to National Institutes of Health research funding. That’s similar to last year, when lawmakers rejected Trump’s proposed cuts in their budget deal.
Last week, Kennedy faced lawmakers in the House, where he tried to focus on politically favorable issues, such as health care affordability and improved nutrition. But he faced pointed questions from Democrats about vaccines, which the administration has worried could be a liability in an election year.
Even some Republicans in earlier hearings voiced concerns about Kennedy’s department, raising issues such as the state of the Food and Drug Administration and the sustainability of rural health.
