U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declined to give a clear answer on whether he would vaccinate children against diseases such as measles, polio, and chickenpox during a contentious House Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday, saying his personal opinions on vaccines are "irrelevant."
"My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant," Kennedy said when asked by Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.) whether he would vaccinate a child for measles. "I don't want to seem like I'm being evasive, but I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me." Pressed further on other routine vaccinations, including for polio and chickenpox, Kennedy again demurred, repeating that he did not want to offer medical guidance.
The exchange came as Kennedy appeared before lawmakers for the first time since his Senate confirmation in February, facing scrutiny over both his prior anti-vaccine activism and sweeping budget cuts to the health department under the Trump administration. "The secretary of health and human services is no longer recommending the measles vaccine," Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) said later during Kennedy's appearance before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "I think that's really dangerous for the American public and for families."
The United States is currently grappling with the largest measles outbreak since 2000. More than 1,000 cases have been reported nationwide across at least 30 states, including 709 cases in Texas alone. Three people have died in Texas, including two unvaccinated children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which operates under Kennedy's department, has confirmed that nearly all of those infected were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
Kennedy has a long history of promoting vaccine skepticism, including a leadership role in one of the nation's most prominent anti-vaccine advocacy organizations prior to his appointment. In an interview with CBS News in April, Kennedy for the first time as secretary publicly stated that "people should get the measles vaccine," but emphasized that "the government should not be mandating those."
Wednesday's hearings were also intended to probe President Donald Trump's proposed HHS budget, which includes aggressive cuts to federal biomedical research programs. Kennedy has overseen the elimination of roughly 20,000 jobs at the department, closed public health labs, and slashed $2.7 billion from research operations - including a 31% reduction to the cancer research budget. The administration has also proposed reducing funding for the National Institutes of Health by 40%.
Democratic lawmakers criticized the administration's direction. "These work requirements and reporting requirements are designed to kick people off Medicaid," said Julie Nickson, federal relations director at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. "And that's what they'll do."
Republican concerns also emerged. Taking away healthcare was "morally wrong and politically suicidal," Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) warned.
Kennedy offered few specifics about the reorganization plan, saying he was "under a court order" not to speak in detail - a claim disputed by legal experts. Georgetown Law's Lawrence Gostin called Kennedy's assertion "pure nonsense," stating, "The secretary has a public duty to explain the reasoning behind the reorganization of his department and to show why it is in the public interest."
Kennedy acknowledged he had reversed course on two programs - the World Trade Center Health Program and parts of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) - after hearing from Republican lawmakers. "I reinstated 328 employees at Niosh - about a little over a third of them were in Morgantown and a third in Cincinnati and the WTC group," Kennedy told Rep. Riley Moore (R., W.Va.).
