RFK Jr. Senate grilling

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent April 22 defending the Trump administration’s health agenda in two Senate hearings as lawmakers pressed him on measles, vaccines and who controls the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (nbcnews.com) Kennedy testified first before the Senate Finance Committee at 10 a.m. and then before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee at 2 p.m., both on President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 Health and Human Services budget request. (finance.senate.gov) (help.senate.gov) At the afternoon hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who cast a key vote for Kennedy’s confirmation, said trust in vaccines had worsened over the past year and challenged Kennedy’s handling of vaccine policy and abortion pills. Kennedy said Trump’s next pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be allowed to make decisions independently. (nbcnews.com) Democrats used the Finance hearing to question Kennedy on measles, vaccine messaging, drug-price negotiations and the cost of promotional videos from his office. National Public Radio reported that the exchanges with Democrats frequently turned rancorous. (wusf.org) The measles fight dominated the day because the outbreak numbers are no longer small. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the United States recorded 2,288 confirmed measles cases and 48 outbreaks in 2025, with 90% of cases tied to outbreaks. (cdc.gov) A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published in 2025 said the country had already reached 800 measles cases by April 17, 2025, the second-highest annual count in 25 years at that point, with 85 hospitalizations and three deaths. (cdc.gov) Kennedy told senators the department advises children to get the measles vaccine, a position also reflected on the Department of Health and Human Services website, which says children should receive measles vaccination and describes the measles, mumps and rubella shot and the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella combination shot. (nytimes.com) (hhs.gov) The hearings also landed after months of conflict over vaccine oversight inside the department. In January, Health and Human Services said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had adopted a revised childhood immunization schedule following a presidential directive to review vaccine practice in peer countries. (hhs.gov) That backdrop helps explain why Cassidy’s role drew so much attention. The Associated Press reported before the hearings that Cassidy was balancing three pressures at once: his committee oversight job, his medical background and a reelection fight in Louisiana after Trump endorsed one of his opponents. (dailyjournal.net) Wednesday’s session was Kennedy’s first appearance before the Senate HELP Committee in nearly a year, and NBC News reported it was his seventh congressional hearing in a week. The next test is whether senators accept his promise that the next Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director will be able to run the agency without political interference. (nbcnews.com)