Lawmakers Challenge RFK Jr. Over Vaccine Policies During Congressional Hearing

Thu Apr 16 2026 22:53:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough scrutiny from lawmakers as he shifted focus from his vaccine agenda to chronic disease issues during a recent hearing. Accusations of mismanaging the U.S. measles outbreak added to the tension.

In a contentious three-hour congressional hearing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled by lawmakers over his management of a recent measles outbreak and his controversial vaccine policies. Despite the pressure, Kennedy sought to divert the conversation to chronic health issues, while facing accusations of endangering public safety through his stances on vaccinations.

Lawmakers grilled Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his handling of the worst measles outbreak in decades, as the US health secretary attempted to redirect the focus during his first congressional hearing in months.

Members of the House Ways & Means Committee accused Kennedy of mismanaging the response to measles and undermining childhood vaccination safety.

Rather than addressing his controversial vaccine agenda, Kennedy emphasized the need to 'end the era of federal policies that fuelled the chronic disease epidemic' in the US.

'President Trump and I are challenging the status quo and the institutions that defend it as we work to make America healthy again in just 15 months,' he stated.

Kennedy was presenting the Trump administration’s proposal to cut his agency’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year by approximately $16 billion, a reduction of 12.5% from the previous year.

Throughout the three-hour session, Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, encountered various complaints from lawmakers about his budget cuts affecting the Department of Health and Human Services and cancer research, alongside his alterations to vaccine recommendations.

California Democratic Representative Mike Thompson accused Kennedy of spreading dangerous conspiracy theories that undermine the safety and efficacy of vaccinations, displaying data on nearly 4,000 measles cases reported in the US over 2025 and 2026.

Since taking office, Kennedy sought to revise US vaccine policies by reducing the number of recommended vaccinations for children and replacing an expert advisory panel with critics of vaccines. However, a judge recently invalidated many of these changes, ruling the new panel members were improperly appointed.

Despite the pending appeal from HHS, Kennedy seems to have shifted focus away from discussing vaccines lately.

Democratic Representative Linda Sanchez pressed him on the US measles outbreak, which resulted in the deaths of two children in Texas last year.

While Kennedy endorses the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine at times, at others he casts doubts on its safety. Sanchez asked whether a child's life could have been saved by the vaccine, to which Kennedy admitted, 'It's possible, certainly.'

Frustrated by lawmakers interrupting him, Kennedy remarked, 'They’ve all shut me up and they’ve talked about science, but science is about debate.'

Some Republican members, like Jodey Arrington, commended his agenda, calling him 'a breath of fresh air,' while Blake Moore of Utah expressed disappointment over the administration's autism research efforts.

Kennedy’s focus on finding the causes of autism has become a central aspect of his mission, despite conflicting views on vaccination's role.

Lastly, throughout the hearing, some lawmakers highlighted cuts to aid programs for children and mothers under Trump's administration, questioning how those cuts improve health outcomes.

Kennedy defended the cuts as necessary due to a $39 trillion deficit, insisting that 'nobody wants to make the cuts.'