The week proved turbulent for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He and the Trump Administration dismissed Susan Monarez, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), barely a month after her confirmation, leading to a wave of prominent resignations within the agency. Days later, nine former CDC leaders . Beneath this turmoil lies Kennedy’s vaccine-skeptical agenda, and on September 4, Kennedy defended his contentious actions at HHS during a Senate hearing—where he also upheld his skepticism regarding vaccines.
“When were you untruthful, Sir: when you informed this committee you were not anti-vaccine, or when you stated to Americans that no vaccine is safe and effective?” inquired Sen. Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, to Kennedy, referencing a appearance where he questioned vaccine safety.
“Both statements hold true,” he responded.
Kennedy’s term as HHS secretary has been plagued by disputes. In June, he of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), which formulates vaccine recommendations for the CDC’s review, and subsequently replaced them with new members, several of whom have voiced doubts about vaccines. In early August, he for mRNA vaccine development, despite that technology leading to the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine.
During his tenure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) elected to for COVID-19 shots to adults 65 and older or those at elevated risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Furthermore, in late August, he dismissed Monarez, the CDC director, for declining to unconditionally endorse ACIP’s vaccine recommendations beforehand, as she penned in her September 4 in the Wall Street Journal.
Senator Elizabeth Warren directly questioned Kennedy regarding his discussion with Monarez during the hearing.
“Did you inform the head of the CDC that her resignation would be required if she declined to approve your proposed alterations to the childhood vaccine schedule?” Warren asked.
“No, I instructed her to resign because I inquired, ‘Are you a person of integrity?’ and she replied, ‘No,’” Kennedy answered.
“Are you therefore asserting that she is being dishonest?” Warren stated.
“Yes,” Kennedy responded.
Warren also queried Kennedy regarding the FDA’s decision to vaccine solely for individuals 65 or older and children and adults with risk factors for severe disease development. These recommendations have generated considerable confusion, and both CVS and Walgreens have to the vaccines in some states for individuals with a prescription.
“Last November, while you were being considered for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr. Kennedy, you declared, ‘If vaccines prove effective for an individual, I will not remove them,’” Warren recounted. “Subsequently, last week, you declared that the COVID-19 vaccine is no longer authorized for healthy individuals under 65. Clearly, these two statements cannot simultaneously be accurate.”
“Anyone is able to receive the booster,” Kennedy stated.
“Are you therefore asserting that this is now the official policy of HHS: that anyone is eligible to obtain a booster simply by visiting a pharmacy?” Warren inquired.
“It is not advised for healthy individuals,” he replied. “No.”
A near-unanimous Republican contingent in the Senate supported Kennedy’s confirmation earlier this year. Yet, during the Senate hearing, some challenged Kennedy’s recent decisions concerning vaccines. These included Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana who had said about Kennedy’s historical stances on vaccine safety during the confirmation hearing, yet ultimately backed Kennedy’s nomination.
Cassidy initiated by expressing his belief that President Trump merited a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed, the collaborative initiative between public and private sectors that expedited the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine. He then questioned Kennedy on his agreement; Kennedy affirmed he did.
“That surprises me,” Cassidy remarked. “You—or HHS, seemingly under your guidance—terminated $500 million in contracts utilizing the mRNA vaccine platform, which was vital to Operation Warp Speed—an achievement I again believe President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for.”
Cassidy additionally presented letters he had received from acquaintances and medical professionals, conveying worries about the ambiguity concerning eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine. One friend reported that his wife, suffering from Stage IV lung cancer, could not obtain the vaccine at CVS “due to the disarray at HHS.” Another correspondent informed Cassidy that physicians are uncertain about who qualifies for the COVID-19 vaccine and are seeking legal advice.
“I would assert that, in effect, we are withholding vaccines from individuals,” Cassidy concluded.
“You are mistaken,” Kennedy stated.
Senator John Barrasso, a physician and Republican representing Wyoming, mentioned that he also received communications from concerned doctors with whom he had previously collaborated.
“There are genuine apprehensions that established, safe vaccines such as those for measles, Hepatitis B, and others, might be jeopardized, which would endanger Americans and undo decades of advancement,” he declared.
Kennedy’s most unequivocal declarations on his vaccine views emerged during an interaction with Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, who inquired about Dr. Retsef Levi, one of Kennedy’s new appointees to the vaccine advisory panel. “Are you cognizant that another of these new members, Dr. Levi, that ‘Evidence is accumulating and undeniable that mRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death, particularly among young people’?” Bennet asked.
“I was not aware he uttered that, but I concur with it,” Kennedy responded.
“That is false,” Bennet stated. “It was not accurate when he said it. It is not accurate when you said it.”
Thom Tillis, a Republican Senator from North Carolina, later revisited this exchange during the hearing, appearing taken aback that Kennedy so openly challenged a technology that President Trump had praised.
“Evidently, during the discussion with Senator Bennet, you expressed agreement with Dr. Levi’s assertions that the mRNA vaccine leads to severe harm, including death, particularly in young individuals. It was reported that you concurred with that remark. Did you agree with that remark or not?” Tillis inquired.
“I believe that is accurate,” Kennedy affirmed.
