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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced one of the most combative hearings of the year Thursday as senators from both parties grilled him over his handling of vaccine policy, the abrupt firing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, and the cancelation of $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts.
Appearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Kennedy clashed with lawmakers, accusing them of “making stuff up” and dismissing lines of questioning as “gibberish.” The sharp exchanges highlighted mounting unease within both parties about the direction of the Health Department under Kennedy’s leadership.
The hearing followed weeks of controversy, including the ouster of CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez, who was confirmed less than a month earlier, and policy moves that experts warn could sharply limit vaccine access.
Senators try to drive wedge with Trump
Republicans and Democrats alike sought to tie Kennedy’s vaccine decisions to former President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, the Covid-19 vaccine initiative that Trump has described as one of his proudest achievements.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who supported Kennedy’s confirmation, pressed him on whether Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for Warp Speed. Kennedy agreed, calling the program “phenomenal,” but hesitated to credit the vaccines with saving millions of lives, saying only that they saved “quite a few.”
Democrats seized on the contradiction. “Unfortunately, you are undermining one of the president’s biggest achievements,” said Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
Trump himself appeared to distance from Kennedy earlier this week, writing on social media that the CDC was being “ripped apart” by internal fights over vaccines.
GOP unease grows
Some senior Republicans echoed Democratic concerns. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, warned that Kennedy’s policies risk jeopardizing routine immunizations.
“There are real concerns that safe, proven vaccines like measles and hepatitis B could be in jeopardy,” Barrasso said. “That would put Americans at risk and reverse decades of progress.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) accused Kennedy of contradicting promises he made during his January confirmation hearings. “There seem to be several reports that would seem to refute” your vow not to restrict vaccine access, Tillis said.
Vaccine access under scrutiny
Kennedy has repeatedly promised not to take vaccines “away from anybody.” But under questioning from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), he acknowledged that narrowing approvals for Covid vaccines had created obstacles, saying availability now “depends on the state” and noting that pharmacies may no longer be able to provide them.
Cassidy confronted Kennedy with reports that patients — including the wife of conservative commentator Erick Erickson, who is battling Stage IV lung cancer — have been denied vaccines due to HHS restrictions. Kennedy dismissed the claim as “wrong,” though Erickson has stood by his account.
Clash over ousted CDC director
The hearing also spotlighted the dramatic firing of Dr. Monarez. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published hours before the hearing, Monarez alleged Kennedy pressured her to preapprove recommendations from a vaccine advisory committee stacked with skeptics.
Kennedy denied the charge, accusing her of lying. Monarez’s attorneys responded that she “stands by her account” and would repeat it “under oath.”
The dispute sets the stage for potential follow-up hearings, with senators signaling they may call both Monarez and acting CDC director Jim O’Neill to testify.
What’s next
The clashes underscored Kennedy’s precarious standing on Capitol Hill. Once confirmed with bipartisan support, he is now under scrutiny from Republicans who fear political fallout and Democrats who say vaccine access is being undermined.
“There’s a strong desire from across the political spectrum to do something so these shootings are less common,” Kennedy said in closing remarks — a statement critics noted was far removed from the issue at hand: his own department’s handling of vaccines.
For now, senators appear united on one point: Kennedy’s combative approach may only deepen the storm surrounding his leadership.
