Protesters, vaccines and budget cuts: 5 takeaways from RFK's testimony before Congress
It was a long day for Health SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr. No topic was off limits as Congressional committee members lobbed questions at the nation's top health official, and he defended proposed cuts to theDepartment of Health and Human Services at two Capitol Hill hearings. He testified before the House committee on appropriations the morning of May 14 and before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the afternoon. Throughout the interrogations, Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, touched on abortion access, vaccines, lead poisoning, the measles outbreak, biomedical research, mental health and the opioid epidemic, and a spending bill that left at least one lawmaker shaking her head in dismay. In the second hearing, the Health secretary was charged by a small pack of protesters who erupted from their seats, chanting, "RFK kills people with AIDS." One of the protesters happened to be a well-known ice cream mogul. Here were the biggest moments and takeaways from RFK's day on the Hill. Some members of the Congressional committees, mostly Democrats, took their time on the dais to press Kennedy about his controversial views on vaccines, fluoride and the measles. The Health secretary skirted a question about whether he would vaccinate his children if they were born now. "Probably for measles," Kennedy said in response to the question from Democrat Rep. Mark Pocan. He then backpedaled, adding, "What I would say is: my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant." When pressed on whether he would vaccinate his children for chickenpox and Polio, Kennedy once again said he didn't want to be giving advice. More:RFK Jr.: 'I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me' Just last month, Kennedyclaimed that measles vaccines are "leaky"because their effectiveness wanes over time – an argument disputed by medical experts. Outbreaks of the highly contagious infection have led to more than 1,000 cases and three deaths in the United States, including those of two unvaccinated children in Texas. During the hearing, Kennedy said his staff was doing "a better job at the CDC than any nation in the world at controlling the measles outbreak." Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, a dentist, expressed concerns to Kennedy about the "fluoride issue," noting that the Food and Drug Administration announced it had begun removing ingestible fluoride supplements for children. Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in water, soil and air that has been demonstrated to prevent dental cavities and tooth decay. For decades, it has been added to community water supplies and dental products such as toothpaste. Simpson told Kennedy, "I've seen the benefits, having been a practicing dentist for 22 years." "You don't prevent cavities by fluoride killing bacteria in the mouth," he explained. "What it does is make the enamel more resistant to decay." "So, I want to see the studies on this and where we're heading with this," Simpson added. Kennedy told lawmakers that patient privacy would be protected in a new database he's creating for autism research. He also reiterated a previous statement that had been debunked by the medical and autism communities. "Autism is an epidemic," Kennedy said. "Genes do not cause epidemics. They can contribute a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin." On May 7, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a partnership to research the causes of the autism spectrum disorder, creating a database of autism-diagnosed Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. "It's entirely voluntary, patient privacy is protected, the data is digitalized and depersonalized… and patients have an absolute right to opt out of it," Kennedy said. Autism rates increased, again:But RFK Jr. diverges from CDC report about the reason. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive ordershortly after the federal autism database was announced, restricting state agencies from collecting and sharing autism-related data without patients' consent. Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is the clinical name for the condition most people refer to as autism. Autism is defined as "a complex developmental condition that affects communication, social interaction and behavior," saysChristopher Banks, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America. Protesters interrupted Kennedy a few minutes after he began his afternoon testimony before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. About five audience members rose from their seats and began charging toward the Health secretary, shouting, "RFK kills people with AIDS." Some of the HHS cuts have impacted the United States Agency for International Development, and experts have said the harms trickled down to global humanitarian organizations working on lifesaving programs, including ones that offered HIV health care, worked on landmine removal and provided food aid. Capitol police escorted the protesters from the room. Some were tackled and fell to the floor. Some were forcibly removed. Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen was among roughly half a dozen demonstrators removed from the room. The ice cream company, known for supporting liberal causes andcandidates, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. When Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations committee, asked why HHS eliminated the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, Kennedy said he couldn't address that question. "We are under acourt ordernot to do any further planning on the reorganization, and I've been advised by my attorneys not to comment," Kennedy told the Connecticut lawmaker. "But I will just say broadly, many of the programs that the Democrats are now saying were cut (at) the CDC were not cut at all." On May 9, afederal judge saidthe Trump administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out large-scale staffing cuts or to restructure agencies. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as "reductions in force" for 14 days. Dozens of lawsuits have challenged DOGE's work on various grounds, including violating privacy laws and exceeding its authority, with mixed results. But DeLauro didn't let Kennedy off the hook. She berated him overa spending bill that funded the government through Sept. 30.Lawmakers contend the Constitution assigns them the responsibility to decide how much to spend. But President Donald Trump and his allies argue that Congress sets limits, the president and his Cabinet may spend less than lawmakers provide. "You have an obligation to carry out the law and implement what Congress has done," Delauro said, shaking her head. "Unbelievable." Addiction, lead poisoning and sudden infant death syndrome. Lawmakers were armed with stories from their districts highlighting how the agency cuts had taken a genuine toll on real people. Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean referenced Kennedy's history of heroin addiction and recovery when she asked why HHS was "shuttering" the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "In active addiction, you know how difficult it is," she said. "This matters in my district. I've buried way too many kids." Kennedy pushed back against the notion that the administration planned to "shutter" the agency. Instead, he said, this division would be "shifted" into the newly created Administration for Healthy America. Dean noted the progress that had been made in addiction and treatment. The number of Americans who died from overdoses of drugs like fentanyl and meth dropped nearly 30% last year, falling to a level not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic,according to the CDC. More babies are dying of SIDS:But the campaign to educate parents is in jeopardy. Experts attribute the decrease to a combination of factors, including the wider availability of the opioid antidote naloxone, along with $50 billion in funding for drug-treatment and youth prevention efforts from the national opioid settlements. "Why would we – when we're finally seeing some success – bury that success?" Dean asked. Kennedy also faced harsh questions from Sen. Tammy Baldwin about cuts to the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention program. The Wisconsin Democrat opened her remarks with what she hoped would be an easy question: "Do you think lead poisoning in children is a significant concern?" The Health secretary said yes, he did. Baldwin then brought up the city of Milwaukee, which requested expert assistance from the CDC to help it address a growing problem of older elementary school students with lead poisoning, she said. The request was denied due to a lack of staff. "You cannot tell us that you want to 'Make America Healthy Again' when you're willfully destroying programs that keep children safe and healthy from lead poisoning," she said. Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY;Reuters. Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How RFK Jr. defended HHS cuts before Congress: Here are 5 takeaways
Protesters, vaccines and budget cuts: 5 takeaways from RFK's testimony before Congress It was a long day for Health SecretaryRobert F. K...
