(NEXSTAR) – Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday over his vaccine policies and recent actions at the HHS.
During the hearing, Kennedy was questioned by both Democrats and Republicans about his overhaul of vaccine recommendations and the firing of the CDC director. Lawmakers expressed skepticism about his decision to replace the entire vaccine advisory panel with his own appointees, citing potential conflicts of interest.
“You’re interrupting me and sir, you’re a charlatan, that’s what you are,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) during the heated exchange.
Kennedy defended his actions by stating that the United States is the “sickest country in the world” and that changes at the CDC were necessary because they “did not do their job.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) challenged Kennedy on the composition of the new vaccine advisory panel, suggesting that including individuals who are paid witnesses in vaccine lawsuits could be a conflict of interest.
The hearing also touched on the FDA’s recent decision to limit COVID-19 vaccine approvals to high-risk groups, which Cassidy argued could restrict access to vaccines for some people. Kennedy countered that anyone who wants a vaccine can still obtain one.
Kennedy’s knowledge of COVID-19 death statistics was questioned by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who expressed disbelief that the Secretary of Health and Human Services was unaware of the number of American deaths from the virus. Kennedy responded by saying, “I don’t think anybody knows that,” despite CDC data indicating approximately 1.2 million deaths in the U.S.
The hearing comes amid calls for Kennedy’s resignation from over 1,000 current and former HHS staff, as well as several Democrats on the committee.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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