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Daniel Payne reports on how the health industry and Washington influence and impact each other. He joined STAT in 2025 after covering health care at POLITICO. You can reach Daniel on Signal at danielp.100.

WASHINGTON — Last week, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) asked health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. whether he would release — by Friday — the contract of a longtime vaccine critic who was hired by the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Yeah, I’m happy to,” Kennedy responded.

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But Friday came and went without a response from Kennedy. On Monday, Luján’s office said they plan to follow up with HHS.

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