U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. focused on nutrition and food safety in his remarks before lawmakers on Thursday, but largely sidestepped questions regarding his efforts to reshape the national vaccination policy.
Kennedy also made little mention of his initiative to investigate the causes of autism during two Congressional hearings, signaling that the nation’s top health official is avoiding some of his most controversial positions ahead of the November midterm elections.
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Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the White House recently encouraged health officials to focus policy discussions on more widely popular issues, as President Donald Trump and his Republican Party aim to strengthen support for their narrow congressional majorities.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, suffered a setback last month after a court ruling blocked key parts of his attempt to overhaul U.S. vaccine policy and restructure a CDC advisory panel on immunizations.
On Thursday, he testified before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and the House Appropriations health subcommittee to discuss the health portion of the Trump administration’s 2027 budget proposal. He is also scheduled to appear in five additional hearings before House and Senate panels next week.
BUDGET AND VACCINE POLICY PUSHBACK
The budget proposal allocates $111 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Kennedy, representing a 12.5% reduction from current funding levels. It includes a $5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health and the elimination of a low-income energy assistance program. Several prominent Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins of Maine, have criticized the reductions as unnecessary.
Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the appropriations health subcommittee, strongly opposed the proposal, saying, “We are not going to do that, I just will tell you that right now.” Congress previously rejected many of the health-related cuts requested by Trump in the fiscal year 2026 budget.
Ahead of Kennedy’s Thursday hearings, Democratic lawmakers gathered at the U.S. Capitol to protest the proposed budget reductions. During the Ways and Means Committee session, Democrats questioned Kennedy on rising healthcare costs, his stance on vaccines, fraud management, and his handling of the country’s largest measles outbreak in decades.
