RFK Jr. Faces Intense Senate Scrutiny Over CDC Turmoil and Sweeping Vaccine Policy Changes

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is currently testifying before the Senate Finance Committee today, September 4, 2025, facing a barrage of questions regarding the significant upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and his controversial overhaul of federal vaccine policy.

The high-stakes hearing follows a week of dramatic events, including Kennedy’s attempt to pressure new CDC Director Susan Monarez to resign, leading to her White House-ordered firing when she refused. This was quickly followed by the resignation of three top CDC officials in protest, signaling widespread dissent within the agency.

While the hearing’s official agenda centers on the president’s 2026 health care initiatives and Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, senators are pressing the Secretary on the ongoing leadership disarray at the CDC, his administration’s departure from established vaccine guidelines, and growing calls for his resignation from over a thousand current and former HHS staff.

Kennedy, known for his past anti-vaccine advocacy, is under fire for allegedly breaking promises made during his February confirmation. Critics point to his moves to transform the federal government’s approach to vaccines, including the firing of a key vaccine advisory panel in June and its replacement with individuals known for anti-vaccine activism. This new panel is slated to consider recommendations for COVID-19, RSV, and measles vaccines later this month, changes that could profoundly impact public health and insurance coverage.

Defending his actions, Secretary Kennedy published an op-ed over the weekend asserting the CDC’s need for reform due to “bureaucratic inertia, politicized science and mission creep.” He also dismissed the resignations, stating, “The agency is in trouble and we need to fix it.” The exodus extends beyond top officials, with approximately 20,000 HHS staff having left since Kennedy took office, a quarter of the agency’s workforce.

Amidst the controversy, Kennedy has also been promoting state-level initiatives focused on healthy food, such as limiting additives in school lunches and restricting food benefits for sugary drinks, an effort he links to combating chronic disease.

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