In the aftermath of a fiery three-hour meeting before the Senate Finance Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces mounting bipartisan criticism for his evasive answers, combative style, and repeated falsehoods about vaccines and chronic disease.
On Thursday, more than a dozen senators questioned Kennedy about his vaccine recommendations, chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, false autism claims, and the impact of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act on health care.
Throughout the meeting, Kennedy argued with multiple senators, and at one point, he pulled out his phone to scroll through his feed. He insisted his goal is to make America healthy again, and he will do so by any means he deems necessary. But his message seemed to boil down to one refrain: everyone is corrupt but him.
Here are some of the highlights from the contentious meeting and what Democratic, Republican, and Independent senators said to Kennedy.
Black Boys, Vaccines, and Autism
In a long-winded monologue, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) thanked Sec. Kennedy for his efforts to investigate the data and science around vaccines. Johnson also spewed unfounded falsehoods about a link between vaccines and chronic disease and went on a tirade about how science has been corrupted.
In response, Kennedy claimed that a study identified that Black boys who got the MMR vaccine had a 260% greater chance of getting diagnosed with autism.
This is false. A 2004 CDC study was retracted after the paper’s author, Brian Hooker, was found to have manipulated data to support his predetermined conclusion that there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in Black boys.
Organ Procurement Organizations
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) pushed Kennedy to further investigate the oversight of the transplant system. Recent reporting from The New York Times found that organ procurement organizations violated regulations by skipping patients on the organ transplant waitlist, essentially prioritizing those who were not as sick or had been on the list for shorter periods. In response, Kennedy said HHS is investigating the allegations of misconduct and line-skipping.
Firing All 17 members of the CDC Vaccine Panel
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)engaged in a heated exchange with Kennedy. Bennet questioned Kennedy on why he fired all 17 members of CDC’s vaccine advisory committee in June and replaced them with unqualified anti-vaxxers.
Later this month, Kennedy and the new vaccine advisory committee panel will consider changing vaccine recommendations for American children. Bennet urged Kennedy to be transparent about the efficacy of vaccines and to prepare families who decide not to get their children vaccinated for measles outbreaks.
“This is not a podcast; this is the American people’s health on the line,” Bennet said. “This is the last thing our parents need, to have the confusion, expense, and scarcity that you’re creating because of your ideology.”
Kennedy repeatedly evaded the questions and tried to flip the exchange and ask Bennet questions. At the end of Mr. Bennet’s allotted five minutes, he yelled at Kennedy and expressed that teachers and parents deserve better than his leadership.
COVID-19 Vaccine Access
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and one of the few physicians on the panel, asked Kennedy a series of questions about his conflicting comments on Operation Warp Speed. With adult vaccine recommendations recently changed, Cassidy said constituents in his state are reporting limited access to COVID-19 vaccines, a problem echoed in other states.
“I would say effectively we are denying people vaccine,” Cassidy said.
“You’re wrong,” Kennedy replied.
Conflating Chronic Disease With a Need for Vaccination
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) repeatedly pressed Kennedy about his claims about mRNA vaccines, chronic disease, and Operation Warp Speed. Kennedy frequently interrupted, leading Cantwell to tell him, “You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan.” Cantwell also said governors on the West Coast, including in Washington, Oregon, and California, will work together and “take up the efficacy of science.”
“You are the Secretary of Health. So, you’re undermining the whole health care delivery system, and you keep trying to point to chronic disease. But you’re not putting solutions on the table to cover more Americans,” Cantwell said. “So no, I don’t support your continued efforts as secretary.”
“I don’t know how many died of COVID.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said he has two children with chronic illnesses. He opened his line of questioning with a seemingly obvious and easy-to-answer question: “Do you accept the fact that a million Americans died from COVID?”
Kennedy’s answer: “I don’t know how many died.”
He then claimed he does not know how many Americans have died from COVID-19 because of so-called data chaos coming out of the CDC during the Biden administration. As Kennedy continued to falsely state there was no data available or that the data that was available was not accurate, Warner increasingly grew frustrated.
“The Secretary of Health and Human Services doesn’t know how many Americans died from COVID, doesn’t know if vaccines helped prevent any deaths,” Warner fired back at Kennedy. “How could you be that ignorant?”
But data is readily available and shows that millions of Americans died of COVID-19. Public datasets track the number of deaths since 2020. The APM Research Lab tracked monthly death data from 2020 to 2023, broken down by race and ethnicity.
Warner and Kennedy also sparred over cuts to health programs. Since Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in July, states have been scrambling to prepare for upcoming cuts to Medicaid, supplemental nutrition assistance programs, and community health centers. Warner called it “the big awful bill,” saying it would cut off health care access to communities that already live in food deserts.
“There are no cuts to Medicaid,” Kennedy falsely claimed in response.
Vaccine Recommendations for Children
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) called out Kennedy’s contradictory statements about Operation Warp Speed and vaccines. Kennedy claimed the recent change of vaccine recommendations for children was not done behind closed doors.
“This is crazy talk. You’re making stuff up,” he told Hassan.
“Sometimes when you make an accusation, it’s kind of a confession,” Hassan said. After a few contentious back-and-forth comments, Kennedy continued to call Hassan a liar. “With respect, I don’t think I’m the one making things up,” she replied.
‘Everyone Is Corrupt But You, Mr. Kennedy’
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) engaged in a fiery debate with Kennedy about the terrible impact the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have on Americans. As Kennedy flip-flopped on his previous statements about COVID-19 vaccines and President Trump’s initial support of them has stated — Sanders asked him point blank: who is right, you or Trump? Kennedy couldn’t provide a succinct answer.
“Everybody is corrupt, but you? Is that what we’re looking at? I don’t think so.” Sanders shot back at Kennedy. “To suggest that the AMA, the pediatrics people, is corrupt because they disagree with you is an insult to the American people.”
Safety of Abortion Pills Under Fire
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) spent most of his five minutes talking about abortion pills and claiming that mifepristone isn’t safe. “We’ve heard the misleading and frankly very harmful lie that’s being sold to women, that this drug (mifepristone) is as safe as Tylenol,” Daines said. He thanked Sec. Kennedy for his unknown efforts to restrict access to the abortion drug.
According to the Food and Drug Administration website, mifepristone is safe when used as indicated and directed and consistent with the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program. The FDA approved Mifeprex more than 20 years ago based on a thorough and comprehensive review of the scientific evidence presented and determined that it was safe and effective for its indicated use.
How Many Vaccines Do Children Really Need?
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), also a physician, questioned Kennedy’s commitment to investigating vaccine efficacy. In two weeks, vaccine experts at the CDC are expected to meet to discuss childhood vaccine recommendations. Barrasso said he supports vaccines but claimed the Biden administration politicized vaccines and swayed Americans through bias.
“When I was a kid, I got three vaccines, I was fully compliant,” Kennedy said. “Today’s children have to get between 69 and 92 vaccines in order to be fully compliant between maternity and 18 years.”
But Kennedy’s statement isn’t completely accurate. Most states require parents to get their children about 20 shots to enter school. However, some of these shots include doses of eight or more vaccines that protect against a dozen diseases. The American Academy of Family Physicians outlines the child immunization schedule starting from birth through age 18 — and AAFP does not endorse the CDC’s updated immunization schedule.
OBBBA’s Impact on Cancer Drugs
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) questioned Kennedy about how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would make Americans healthy again, given that it will not decrease drug prices for dozens of life-saving and necessary medications. The three top-selling cancer drugs are now exempt from Medicare drug price negotiation — meaning it will likely cost more every year for cancer patients.
RELATED: This Guide Breaks Down Insurance and Big Pharma
“You Promised to Keep Vaccines“
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) interrogated Kennedy on his earlier claim that he fired former CDC Director Susan Monarez after asking if she was trustworthy — and, according to Kennedy, Monarez said no. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published two hours before the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Monarez wrote that she was fired after 29 days because she insisted on rigorous scientific review. Kennedy said Monarez is lying in the op-ed.
Warren also reminded Kennedy that during his confirmation hearing, he promised to keep vaccines available for all Americans who wanted one. He asserted that COVID-19 booster shots are not recommended for healthy people.
In response, Warren explained that due to Kennedy’s policy changes, pharmacies are no longer obligated to provide free COVID boosters. Kennedy disagreed that his office is making access to vaccines and boosters more difficult.
“It takes it away if you can’t get it from your pharmacy. It takes it away if you have to pay $200,” Warren said.
Kennedy also refused to answer Warren’s questions on whether he would take similar action on other critical vaccines.
“You are putting America’s babies’ health at risk. America’s seniors’ health at risk. All Americans’ health at risk,” Warren warned in her closing statement. “You should resign.”
CDC Shooting Linked to Vaccine Distrust
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), opened his statements addressing the CDC headquarters shooting that occurred in Atlanta on Aug. 8. Sec. Kennedy acknowledged that he is aware the shooter, who fired more than 180 shots with a long gun, expressed mistrust of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Warnock reminded Kennedy that he is on the record calling the CDC corrupt, likely referring to Kennedy’s failed 2024 presidential campaign.
“Despite your lack of credentials and expertise, clearly, you have an agenda. It is a threat to the public health of the American people. It’s clear that you are carrying out your extremist beliefs,” Warnock said in his closing statements. Warnock also mentioned that there are multiple outbreaks of measles, which the country hasn’t experienced in decades.
“You are a hazard to the health of the American people,” Warnock said. “I think that you ought to resign. And if you do not resign, the President of the United States, who put forward Operation Warp Speed, which worked, should fire you.”
