RFK Jr. to testify earlier than Congress once more after final week’s contentious hearings

WASHINGTON — Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is about to testify Tuesday earlier than the Senate Appropriations Committee, the place he’s more likely to be requested related questions on points raised in contentious congressional hearings final week.

The listening to Tuesday facilities on President Donald Trump’s price range request for the well being company, however Kennedy is more likely to be requested about his vaccine skepticism and assist of fluoride bans and the large DOGE-led cuts to his division.

The White Home’s proposal for the 2026 price range would slash HHS’s discretionary funding by 26%, hitting places of work just like the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention and the Low Earnings House Vitality Help Program essentially the most. Beneath the proposed price range, the NIH’s funds could be slashed by almost $18 billion in contrast with fiscal 12 months 2025 ranges.

Kennedy appeared earlier than the Home Appropriations and Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions committees final week, when he refused to reply questions in regards to the security and effectiveness of main kinds of vaccines.

Requested on the Home Appropriations Committee listening to final week whether or not he would vaccinate a baby towards measles in the present day, Kennedy paused earlier than saying, “In all probability for measles.” Kennedy argued that his “opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”

“I do not assume folks ought to be taking medical recommendation from me,” stated the nation’s high well being official.

Requested whether or not he would vaccinate his baby towards chickenpox and polio, Kennedy stated he didn’t wish to present recommendation.

Kennedy has a historical past of selling false claims about vaccines, together with the measles vaccine throughout an outbreak. The US has had greater than 1,000 reported measles instances thus far this 12 months, based on NBC Information knowledge. Kennedy has additionally promoted unproven remedies for measles and false details about vaccine testing.

Sen. Invoice Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who chairs the HELP Committee, corrected a few of Kennedy’s feedback about vaccines final week, describing how they had been examined.

HHS is slashing its workforce and reorganizing divisions and places of work. It introduced in a information launch in March that it will lower its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time workers. The division additionally introduced that the variety of divisions and places of work could be lowered, a transfer it stated was meant to “streamline the capabilities of the Division.”