Congressional Democrats Launch Scathing Attack on Health Secretary
Members of Congress delivered harsh criticism to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a contentious budget hearing, expressing deep frustration over his failure to provide transparent explanations regarding his controversial vaccine policies, research budget cuts, and widespread staff reductions that have created chaos across all HHS agencies.
The Tuesday Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, originally scheduled to focus on the HHS budget for 2026, quickly devolved into heated exchanges over Kennedy’s approach to public health policy and vaccine recommendations.
Vaccine Policy Under Intense Scrutiny
Direct Confrontation Over Scientific Evidence
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered one of the most pointed criticisms of the hearing, directly challenging Kennedy’s scientific credibility. “Mr. Secretary, the science is not on your side. I just really think that people are going to die as a result of your actions and congressional Republicans’ actions,” Pallone stated, referencing the sweeping changes to vaccine policy implemented across HHS departments.
The confrontation escalated when Kennedy accused Pallone of accepting $2 million from pharmaceutical companies while refusing to advocate for “victims of vaccine injury.” Following a formal reprimand from committee leadership, Kennedy was forced to withdraw his inflammatory comments.
CDC Advisory Committee Controversy
Pallone pressed Kennedy on his controversial decision to fire all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the traditional public forum for vaccine policy development. When Kennedy defended his actions by claiming the former members had conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry, health experts who spoke with BioSpace universally disagreed, noting that ACIP members’ potential conflicts had been appropriately managed under established protocols.
Notably, two of Kennedy’s newly appointed advisors previously served as expert witnesses in legal cases against vaccine manufacturer Merck, raising questions about the consistency of his conflict-of-interest standards.
Pregnant Women and COVID Vaccine Recommendations
Policy Changes Create Confusion
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) highlighted a significant policy inconsistency regarding COVID vaccine recommendations for pregnant women. While Kennedy’s agency removed the official recommendation for pregnant women to receive COVID vaccines, the recommendation still appears on the CDC website, creating public confusion about current health guidance.
Kennedy defended the policy change, stating, “We’re not depriving anybody of choice. If a pregnant woman wants the COVID-19 vaccine, she can get it.” However, he cited dozens of reported adverse events in pregnant women who received COVID vaccines as justification for removing the official recommendation, despite lacking peer-reviewed evidence supporting increased risk.
Medical Professionals Voice Strong Opposition
Pediatrician Delivers Harsh Rebuke
Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), a practicing pediatrician, delivered perhaps the most devastating critique of Kennedy’s vaccine stance. Focusing on vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough, Schrier accused Kennedy of spreading dangerous misinformation.
“You have lied to the American people. You have lied to parents about vaccines for 20 years. And I also want to be clear that I will lay all responsibility for every death from a vaccine preventable illness at your feet,” Schrier declared, emphasizing the life-or-death consequences of vaccine policy decisions.
MAHA Report Faces Academic Criticism
“Galileo Got an F” Defense Falls Flat
Democrats extensively criticized Kennedy’s MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) report, which independent analysis found to be riddled with factual errors characteristic of AI-generated content. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) questioned whether Kennedy had actually reviewed the report’s citations before publication.
“If somebody turned this in as an undergrad to their professor at UCLA, they would have received an F, sir,” Ruiz stated, highlighting the report’s academic deficiencies.
Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) attempted to defend Kennedy’s work with a historical comparison: “I would remind everybody that Galileo got an F during his day and age, and sometimes people who are trying to do cutting edge work don’t get the response they expect from the leading scientists of the day.”
Bipartisan Areas of Potential Cooperation
Drug Pricing and Rare Disease Initiatives
Despite the heated exchanges over vaccine policy, some representatives identified areas for potential collaboration. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) took a pragmatic approach, expressing willingness to work with Kennedy on drug pricing initiatives and pushing for adjustments to the Inflation Reduction Act’s “pill penalty” provisions.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) sought Kennedy’s commitment to supporting the priority review program for rare pediatric diseases, which expired at the end of 2024. Kennedy referenced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as including provisions to reduce regulatory burdens for rare disease approvals and mentioned FDA plans to use artificial intelligence to accelerate drug approvals.
Compassionate Use and Innovation
Rep. H. Morgan Griffith also addressed compassionate use programs for investigational drugs treating devastating diseases like Huntington’s disease. Kennedy pledged to expand these programs, acknowledging the importance of providing options for patients facing terminal illnesses.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) inquired about Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s commitment to cell and gene therapy advancement. Kennedy emphasized that such treatments represent “the medicine of the future” and expressed confidence that both Makary and National Institute of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya want the United States to become a global innovation hub for these therapeutic modalities.
Congressional Oversight Continues
Given the extensive issues raised during the hearing, Chairman Pallone indicated that additional oversight hearings would be necessary. “I do believe the secretary must appear here again very soon for an oversight hearing on the unprecedented and troubling chaos he’s created at the vaccine panel and its impacts on people’s access to life saving vaccines,” Pallone concluded.
The hearing demonstrates the deep divide between Kennedy’s approach to public health policy and traditional scientific consensus, setting the stage for continued congressional scrutiny of HHS operations under his leadership.
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