Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Thursday confronted grilling from a congressional committee over his effort to upend vaccine coverage and widespread turmoil at federal well being businesses on his watch.
RFK Jr. appeared Thursday morning earlier than the Senate Finance Committee, the place he’s anticipated to face questions on mass layoffs, together with the abrupt ouster of Facilities for Illness Management director Susan Monarez, and draconian price range cuts that critics say will cripple the nation’s capacity to stop illness.
Kennedy, lengthy one of many nation’s most outstanding vaccine skeptics, may even seemingly be requested about his effort to reshape the nation’s vaccine insurance policies to replicate his acknowledged suspicions about even long-established photographs with confirmed observe data of well being and security.
President Trump has heaped reward on Kennedy because the self-styled chief of the Make America Wholesome Once more motion, mirroring the president’s MAGA slogan. However he’s going through rising questions on his stewardship of the sprawling well being businesses and whether or not he misled lawmakers in earlier appearances on Capitol Hill.
Simply final week, Kennedy ousted Dr. Monarez as CDC director after lower than a month on the job.
Monarez, a longtime authorities well being official, says she was fired as a part of a “deliberate effort” to weaken the nation’s well being.
“Public health shouldn’t be partisan. Vaccines have saved millions of lives under administrations of both parties,” Monarez wrote in a Wall Avenue Journal opinion piece revealed minutes earlier than Kennedy’s look. “I was fired for holding that line.”
“If we stay silent, preventable diseases will return,” she added. “This isn’t reform. It’s sabotage.”
Greater than 1,000 previous and present Well being and Human Companies staffers have signed a petition calling on RFK Jr. to step down.
One intently watched lawmaker might be Sen. Invoice Cassidy (R-Louisiana), the chair of the well being panel. He supplied pivotal help for Kennedy throughout his divisive affirmation listening to after profitable the nominee’s pledge to not upend a key federal vaccine panel staffed by revered well being officers.
Kennedy has since ousted your entire vaccine advisory committee and changed its members with a number of vaccine skeptics.
In Could, Kennedy introduced COVID-19 vaccines would now not be advisable for wholesome kids and pregnant ladies, a transfer opposed by medical and public well being teams.
He additionally cancelled $500 million in grants to develop groundbreaking mRNA vaccines.
Kennedy has claimed wins by convincing some meals producers to voluntarily agree to switch synthetic dyes and different components in merchandise.
