Democrats and Republicans clashed with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a contentious three-hour Senate hearing, scrutinizing his recent vaccine decisions and contrasting them with President Donald Trump’s successful pandemic efforts to expedite vaccine development. The heated exchanges included questions about Kennedy’s dismissal of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, who he accused of dishonesty.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy commended Trump for accelerating COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution in 2020. Cassidy and other Republicans carefully navigated their criticism of Kennedy’s vaccine policies while avoiding condemnation of the former president.
During the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Cassidy asked Kennedy if he believed Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for the vaccine initiative, to which Kennedy agreed. However, Cassidy challenged Kennedy on his previous statement suggesting that vaccines had caused more deaths than COVID, a claim Kennedy denied.
A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal revealed that COVID vaccines saved approximately 14.4 million lives globally in their first year of use. Republican Senator John Barrasso, also a physician, expressed his concerns to Kennedy about upholding vaccine standards and highlighted issues such as measles outbreaks and controversies surrounding mRNA vaccines.
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell illustrated the effectiveness of vaccines with a chart, emphasizing the significant reduction in disease rates due to vaccination. The hearing included tense moments as Kennedy defended his decision to dismiss CDC Director Monarez and hinted at potential further staff changes at the agency.
Kennedy accused the CDC of misinformation during the pandemic, citing conflicting recommendations on mask-wearing and vaccine efficacy. Despite criticisms and calls for resignation from some Democrats, Kennedy has stood by his controversial changes to vaccine policy and the CDC’s operations. Cassidy has requested oversight into the CDC upheaval and questioned Kennedy’s decision to cancel $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine research.
The hearing underscored the ongoing debate surrounding vaccine policy and leadership within the CDC, with tensions running high between lawmakers and health officials.