Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a barrage of Democratic criticism Thursday over vaccine policy and sweeping changes to federal health agencies during two House committee hearings focused on the department's budget proposal.
Kennedy defended his handling of measles outbreaks even as the country grapples with the highest case count in 25 years. The U.S. recorded 2,287 measles cases last year, with another 1,714 cases already reported this year. Three deaths from measles were confirmed last year, including a child in Texas.
When asked directly by Rep. Linda Sánchez of California whether the measles vaccine could have saved the Texas child's life, Kennedy acknowledged it was "possible, certainly." He later claimed the U.S. had "done better" at preventing measles than any other country, a assertion disputed by disease experts who point to Kennedy's de-emphasis of vaccines as an obstacle to controlling outbreaks.
"Kids have died because measles is running rampant under your watch," Rep. Mike Thompson of California told Kennedy during the hearings.
Kennedy stood firm on staff reductions at federal health agencies, telling lawmakers that terminated employees "presided over the biggest decline in health in the history of the world." He stated that HHS currently has 72,000 employees and plans to hire 12,000 more to replace those who were let go, saying the department would be "replaced with a better group of people who are actually going to address chronic health."
The Department of Health and Human Services is requesting a $15.8 billion budget reduction from the current year, down to $111.1 billion total for next fiscal year.
New policy overhauls take shape
Kennedy announced two major policy shifts during Thursday's hearings. He declared he is reforming the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which sets national disease screening recommendations that insurance companies use to determine coverage and reimbursement. "That committee has been lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years," Kennedy said. "We're now bringing new members on who have a clear mission. We're going to have much more frequent meetings. We're going to have, for the first time, transparency."
The move follows medical community concerns about the task force, whose meetings have been repeatedly postponed. The panel has not convened in more than a year. The American Medical Association had urged Kennedy in a letter last year not to dismiss current members.
Kennedy also revealed he reclassified 12 peptides from higher-risk substances to a category allowing compounding pharmacies to produce them while the FDA continues safety evaluations. Peptide injections have surged in popularity in wellness circles, with promoters claiming anti-aging and athletic performance benefits. However, safety and effectiveness remain largely unevaluated in humans except for the small fraction approved by the FDA.
Kennedy argued the Biden administration's classification of these peptides was "improper" and lacked scientific justification. He advocated treating peptides as dietary supplements, which would subject them to significantly less regulatory oversight than pharmaceutical drugs.
During afternoon testimony, President Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, who served as deputy U.S. surgeon general during Trump's first term, as CDC director. The administration also announced other nominees for top health positions. Kennedy asked lawmakers to confirm Dr. Casey Means as surgeon general, describing her as "the most articulate, eloquent and erudite evangelist for the MAHA movement," referring to his "Make America Healthy Again" campaign.
Means has drawn criticism from lawmakers across party lines for controversial positions on vaccines, birth control, and pesticides. Her nomination has stalled since February, with no clear timeline for a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vote.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Kennedy's willingness to dismiss legitimate health concerns while simultaneously pushing untested peptide treatments shows how far pharmaceutical ideology has shifted inside HHS."
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