RFK Jr. Faces Senate Scrutiny Over Vaccine Policy and CDC Firings

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his leadership and policy changes at a tense Senate Finance Committee hearing Thursday, as lawmakers from both parties pressed him on vaccine guidance, the restructuring of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and recent personnel moves that have roiled the federal public health system.

Kennedy, who has served as HHS secretary since February, testified for roughly three hours about the Trump administration's health agenda and his decisions affecting the CDC. Democrats accused him of restricting Americans' access to vaccines and of undermining public health science, while several Republican senators raised concerns about practical effects of the agency's new approach.

The hearing came a week after Kennedy dismissed Susan Monarez as director of the CDC and followed a June decision to remove all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the independent group that issues vaccine recommendations for the nation. Public health experts have expressed alarm at Mr. Kennedy's selections to replace the panel, noting that several appointees are vaccine critics and questioning whether the replacements have the relevant qualifications.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, told the secretary that recent changes had effectively left some Americans unable to obtain COVID-19 vaccines. Cassidy read from emails, including messages from conservative radio host Erick Erickson, and said the correspondence showed people seeking vaccines had been turned away. "I would say, effectively, we're denying people vaccines," Cassidy said. Kennedy replied, "You're wrong," and disputed individual accounts cited by senators.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also sharply criticized Kennedy's record, saying the secretary's actions had put children "into harm's way" by removing scientists and doctors from decision-making roles and permitting what Wyden called the influence of conspiracy theories over health policy. The exchange followed a Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Monarez in which she said she was removed after refusing to "rubber-stamp" vaccine recommendations from the reconstituted advisory panel; Kennedy called Monarez's account false during the hearing.

Kennedy defended the mass firings at the CDC as necessary to replace what he described as failed leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. "America is home to 4.2% of the world's population, yet we had nearly 20% of COVID deaths," he told the panel, arguing that the agency's approach to masks, school closures and other measures warranted new leadership. He said the agency needed "bold, competent and creative new leadership" and promised "new blood" would take over the CDC.

Lawmakers also pressed Kennedy on budget and research priorities, including reported cuts to mRNA research — the platform that produced COVID-19 vaccines under Operation Warp Speed — and on whether federal guidance would continue to reflect established scientific consensus. Several senators called for oversight and investigations into whether the CDC's revised recommendations should be considered legitimate in light of the advisory panel changes.

The upheaval at the federal level has prompted an immediate response from state officials. On Wednesday, the Democratic governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a West Coast health alliance that they said will provide independent vaccine guidance and "credible information" on vaccine safety and efficacy. The governors said the alliance was intended to ensure state policies are guided by scientists and clinicians rather than by politics, and they criticized what they described as the Trump administration's politicization and "dismantling" of the CDC.

An HHS spokesperson said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices "remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country" and that the department will ensure policy is "based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science." Kennedy rejected accusations that he had told Monarez to approve recommendations she opposed, saying the claims were untrue.

The Senate Finance Committee hearing underscored growing tension between federal officials and state leaders over the direction of U.S. vaccine policy. Lawmakers signaled further oversight is likely, and governors said they would proceed with state-level guidance to protect residents. The committee did not produce immediate votes or legislative action at the hearing, and officials from the CDC did not testify alongside the HHS secretary.