The U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., credited the financial blueprint of Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative as an inspiration for the pivotal spending reductions currently transforming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Despite implementing many of these cuts, Kennedy also confirmed that he has resisted certain reductions and has reinstated numerous programs that were erroneously cut.
Kennedy, during two rigorous congressional committee hearings which involved hours of inquiry on Wednesday, clarified his reformations. One of the hearings was held by the House Appropriations Committee and the other by the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee. The primary subject of discussion was the budget proposed by President Trump for the fiscal year 2026, yet the dialogue also expanded to several other matters.
These additional topics involved the commencement of autism research spearheaded by Kennedy, the unexpected measles outburst in West Texas, and the large-scale restructure of the HHS, an event that led to 20,000 employees either losing their jobs or accepting buyouts or early retirements. Kennedy, on the whole, stood strong behind the broad changes made to the agency, although he admitted to making slight retractions on a case-by-case basis.
Kennedy reiterated his commitment to President Trump’s plans to further reduce billions from the HHS’s budget. Despite acknowledging that this will inevitably lead to ‘painful’ effects, Kennedy plans to stay in line with these proposed budget cuts. During an interaction, Kennedy reminded Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., a ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, about the power parliament held over financial matters.
Responding to Kennedy’s comment, DeLauro voiced her gratitude and expressed her discontent with Kennedy and the Trump administration’s alleged illegitimate impounding of funds approved by the Congress this year. DeLauro accused the administration of exercising powers beyond its jurisdiction.
Republicans questioned Kennedy in a less adversarial manner during these hearings. In fact, the chairperson of the Senate HELP committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R.-La., entreated Kennedy to improve his collaboration with Congress. In his opening remarks, Cassidy emphasized the need for an effective strategy to coordinate statutory obligations along with efforts to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency, as well as eliminating wasteful expenditure.
‘Both Congress and the administration must collaborate to ensure the right balance in reformations to benefit the American populace,’ Cassidy stated in his opening address. Cassidy, besides being a senator, is also a physician. The proceedings of the Senate hearing were briefly interrupted by protestors shouting, ‘RFK kills people with AIDS.’ They were rapidly escorted out by police officers, and the hearing resumed.
An interesting dialogue about Musk unfolded between Kennedy and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., during the House hearing. ‘Who made those decisions? You or Musk?’ Hoyer inquired. Kennedy responded that he collaborated with Musk’s team yet had the final say. For instance, he highlighted his role in preserving the Head Start early education initiative from severe budget cuts.
There were instances where Kennedy appeared uncertain about the details of the cuts as lawmakers grilled him about specifics, such as delays in settlements to community groups and issues regarding clinical trials. He assured that he’d delve into these matters and return with the information asked for by lawmakers.
Senator Andy Kim, D.-N.J., questioned the decision to reintroduce staff for the World Trade Center health program, which had previously been released. ‘But why were they cut in the first place?’ Kim demanded. Kennedy explained that had they not made the cuts promptly, bureaucratic inertia could’ve rendered the agency inefficient and incapable of achieving its primary goal – improving the health of the American population.
The topic of vaccines was most notably addressed by Sen. Chris Murphy, D.-Conn., who accused Kennedy of eroding public faith in vaccines by not strongly advocating for their safety. Kennedy retorted, ‘Wouldn’t you want me to warn you if I advised you to swim in a lake known to be infested with alligators?’
Cassidy, upon returning to the hearing ambient, corrected Kennedy’s inaccurate statement that all vaccinations, with the exception of those for COVID, were not tested against a placebo. Cassidy clarified, ‘That’s not accurate. The vaccines for rotavirus, measles, and HPV have undergone tests, and some are even evaluated against past iterations. Just for the records, to clear any misconceptions.’
Kennedy, during an earlier conversation with Rep. Mark Pocan, D.-Wisc., during the House hearing, mentioned that he would ‘probably’ opt for his hypothetical young child to receive a measles vaccine. Kennedy intentionally did not comment on polio or chicken pox vaccines, adding, ‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.’ Kennedy later faced additional queries from Republicans from Oklahoma and Maine, who were concerned about reductions to biomedical research in their constituencies.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro concluded the House hearing by remarking on the ability of Republican congress members to collaborate with Kennedy’s HHS in order to restore staffing to several legally mandated programs. On the contrary, communications from Democrats seem to have been neglected. DeLauro asked, ‘Who should Democrats be contacting?’ She then requested the reinstatement of a lead poisoning program.