Lawmakers Slam Kennedy’s Health Policy Overhaul Plans

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Lawmakers Slam Kennedy’s Health Policy Overhaul Plans \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense bipartisan criticism over deep staffing cuts and health program rollbacks. Lawmakers questioned drastic funding reductions to NIH, vaccines, and low-income programs amid a public health crisis. Kennedy defended the White House budget and emphasized cost-cutting, sparking national debate over priorities.

Quick Looks

Kennedy defends HHS budget cuts before Senate, House panels.
Proposal slashes NIH funding nearly in half—$20 billion cut.
HHS workforce dropped from 82,000 to 62,000 under RFK Jr.
“Make America Healthy Again” gets $500 million boost.
Cuts hit disease prevention, maternal health, and heating aid.
Bipartisan concerns raised on job losses, cancer treatment delays.
Vaccine skepticism fuels backlash amid growing measles outbreak.
Head Start spared after Kennedy fought for funding.
Trump says energy policy will replace heating assistance.
Critics challenge anti-fluoride, anti-dye stances and false vaccine claims.

Deep Look

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Under Fire From Both Parties Over HHS Cuts, Vaccine Claims, and Public Health Priorities

In a pair of intense Capitol Hill hearings on Wednesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced withering criticism from both Democrats and Republicans over sweeping budget cuts, mass layoffs, and controversial policy changes to the nation’s public health system. Kennedy’s short tenure at the helm of the $1.7 trillion agency has already seen significant restructuring, including a 25% reduction in staff and proposals to eliminate or drastically reduce funding for long-standing health initiatives.

Budget Proposal Sparks Alarm Across the Aisle

Kennedy defended the Biden administration’s 2025 budget proposal, which includes a $500 million increase for his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative aimed at promoting better nutrition and wellness. But critics quickly focused on what’s being slashed: funding for infectious disease prevention, cancer research, maternal health, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The proposal includes nearly $20 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), prompting concerns over impacts on lifesaving research. Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington highlighted a constituent’s delayed cancer treatment at the NIH Clinical Center as an example of the human cost of such cuts. Kennedy was unable to specify how many jobs had been lost at NIH.

“You are here to defend cutting the NIH by half,” Murray said. “Do you genuinely believe that won’t result in more stories like Natalie’s?”

Mass Layoffs and Agency Restructuring Under Scrutiny

Kennedy’s decision to shrink the agency’s workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 was described as an effort to “reduce redundancies.” He said consolidating overlapping offices—such as those dealing with women’s health, minority health, and STD prevention—was a strategic move, not an elimination.

“When we consolidate them, Democrats say they’re eliminating them,” Kennedy said.

But Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman of New Jersey fiercely criticized Kennedy’s plan to eliminate staffing for LIHEAP, which supports millions of low-income families with heating costs. “Why, why, why?” she asked in frustration, noting that Kennedy’s own advisors had warned the cuts “will end up killing people.”

Kennedy argued that President Trump’s energy policies would reduce household energy costs enough to make LIHEAP unnecessary, but added that if that plan failed, he would seek to restore the funding. This drew a sharp rebuke from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who said, “Those savings would be realized too late. Right now, folks in Alaska still need those ugly generators to keep warm.”

Divisive Vaccine and Public Health Positions Stir Controversy

Kennedy’s long-documented skepticism of vaccines resurfaced during the hearings, especially amid a growing measles outbreak across 11 states. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) pressed Kennedy to publicly recommend the CDC’s childhood vaccine schedule. Kennedy refused and repeated the debunked claim that childhood vaccines had not been tested against placebos.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana, corrected Kennedy on the record, pointing out that vaccines for rotavirus, HPV, and measles have undergone placebo-controlled trials.

Kennedy has also claimed that the MMR vaccine is “leaky” and causes deaths—despite no evidence of fatalities linked to it in healthy individuals. “You have undermined the vital role vaccines play in preventing disease during the single, largest measles outbreak in 25 years,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), warning of dangerous public health consequences.

Attacks on Fluoride, Food Dyes Raise More Eyebrows

Several lawmakers challenged Kennedy’s unorthodox views on fluoride and food additives. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), a dentist, criticized Kennedy for planning to remove fluoride recommendations from drinking water. The FDA under HHS has also proposed pulling fluoride supplements for children, inaccurately claiming that fluoride “kills bacteria from the teeth.”

“That’s just factually wrong,” Simpson said, explaining that fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, not kills bacteria.

Meanwhile, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) voiced concern over Kennedy’s push to eliminate artificial food dyes, saying it could hurt candy manufacturers in his district—home to brands like M&Ms. Though he supported Kennedy’s health-food initiatives, Fleischmann asked for more scientific backing before policy changes are made.

Head Start Survives—For Now

One bright spot in the hearings was Kennedy’s announcement that he fought to restore funding for Head Start, a preschool program serving millions of low-income families. The White House had initially proposed eliminating it. “I fought very hard to keep it,” Kennedy said, noting its importance despite the sweeping nature of the budget overhaul.

A Divided Response to a Radical Overhaul

While Kennedy has received some support from conservatives for targeting administrative waste and championing healthy lifestyles, both parties appear deeply divided on whether his cuts go too far, too fast.

As the hearings concluded, it was clear that RFK Jr.’s tenure as health secretary is on a controversial path. His push for radical restructuring, rollback of scientific consensus, and public health skepticism has rattled lawmakers across the spectrum and cast doubt on the future direction of America’s health policy.