RFK Jr. distances himself on measles
At a House hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sought to distance himself from recent measles outbreaks while also criticizing a separate Tylenol study, according to Roll Call’s coverage of the April 17 hearing (rollcall.com). An AP‑distributed fact check published via WINK News disputes Kennedy’s claim that the U.S. is limiting measles better than other countries, adding context to the hearing’s statements (winknews.com).
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a House hearing on April 17 to argue the measles surge began before he took office. (rollcall.com) At the House Education and Workforce Committee, Kennedy said most measles cases were in people older than 5, so their parents’ decisions on vaccination predated his tenure as secretary. Roll Call reported the hearing was part of the administration’s fiscal 2027 budget push. (rollcall.com) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,714 confirmed measles cases had been reported in the United States as of April 9, with 17 outbreaks in 2026 and 94% of cases tied to outbreaks. The agency said 33 jurisdictions had reported cases this year. (cdc.gov) Roll Call said Kennedy also pushed back on criticism that his rhetoric helped fuel the outbreak, while Democrats used the hearing to press him on vaccines and other health issues. Committee chair Tim Walberg repeatedly asked members to keep the tone civil. (rollcall.com) Kennedy paired that defense with a broader claim: that measles is a global problem and the United States is containing it better than any other country. An Associated Press fact check published April 17 said measles is surging worldwide, but the United States is “getting worse, not better” at preventing spread because vaccination rates have been falling. (apnews.com) The same fact check said other countries, including Canada and Mexico, have had larger outbreaks in 2025 and 2026, but that does not support Kennedy’s claim about U.S. performance. The AP said the United States is at risk of losing its measles-elimination status. (apnews.com) That elimination status dates to 2000 and means measles is no longer spreading continuously inside the country for 12 months or more. CDC data show 2,287 confirmed U.S. cases in 2025, after 285 in 2024, before this year’s 1,714 cases were logged by April 9. (cdc.gov) The hearing also turned to autism and acetaminophen, the drug sold as Tylenol. Roll Call reported Kennedy criticized a new Danish study that found no link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism, saying it did not examine the right populations. (rollcall.com) Reporting on that study said researchers analyzed more than 1.5 million children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2022 and found no association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism. Reuters and other outlets said the paper was published in JAMA Pediatrics on April 13. (wincountry.com) Kennedy’s April 17 appearance was one stop in a week of hearings over a White House budget plan that would cut Health and Human Services spending by more than 12%, or nearly $16 billion. By the end of the session, the budget hearing had become another fight over vaccines, measles and the secretary’s public claims. (deseret.com)
