RFK Jr. Under Fire: Health Secretary Clashes with Senators Over Vaccine Policy, CDC Shake-Up
RFK Jr. Under Fire: Health Secretary Clashes with Senators Over Vaccine Policy, CDC Shake-Up
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a maelstrom of criticism and renewed calls for his resignation during a contentious Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday. Senators, including some who initially voted to confirm him, grilled Kennedy over his controversial actions and policy shifts in his first eight months as the nation’s top health official, leading to heated exchanges and accusations of weakening America’s public health system.
At the heart of the dispute were high-profile resignations and firings within key agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a new U.S. vaccine policy potentially limiting access for some Americans as the respiratory illness season approaches, and the replacement of a critical panel of medical experts with individuals holding anti-vaccine stances. Kennedy, often defiant and dismissive, objected to the characterizations of his decisions. “This is crazy talk. You’re just making stuff up,” he retorted to Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) when questioned about new restrictions on COVID shots.
Kennedy staunchly defended the recent CDC shake-up, asserting these changes were “absolutely necessary adjustments” to restore the agency’s leadership, which he claimed “failed that responsibility miserably during COVID.” He also justified firing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) due to alleged “conflicts of interest,” a move Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) countered by saying Kennedy “replaced them with non-experts, vaccine skeptics and conspiracy theorists,” thereby eroding the panel’s scientific credibility.
The Health Secretary further ignited tensions by alleging the federal government had “lied to the American public about the effectiveness of vaccines and masks” during the pandemic, calling the entire process “politicized.” Many of these allegations are widely considered false or misleading.
Kennedy’s grasp of fundamental COVID-19 data also came under scrutiny. When asked by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) if he accepted that a million Americans died from COVID, Kennedy responded, “I don’t know how many died. I don’t think anybody knows,” despite the CDC website clearly stating over 1.2 million deaths. His reluctance to affirm that vaccines prevented COVID deaths prompted Warner to exclaim, “How can you be that ignorant?”
Even some Republican doctors on the committee, like Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), expressed deep concerns. Cassidy, who initially backed Kennedy, questioned why he would praise Operation Warp Speed while simultaneously restricting vaccine access and cancelling mRNA vaccine research funding. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) also voiced alarm over recent measles outbreaks and leadership changes.
The hearing reached a dramatic peak when Kennedy accused former CDC Director Susan Monarez of “lying” about the reasons for her departure. Monarez had publicly stated she was fired for “holding the line and insisting on rigorous scientific review,” a claim Kennedy directly contradicted, saying he dismissed her after she admitted not being a “trustworthy person.” The intense exchange underscored the deep divisions and policy battles now defining the nation’s top health office.
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