Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent nearly three hours before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday morning defending the Trump administration’s health agenda, fielding pointed questions on vaccines, Medicaid cuts, rural hospital funding, food policy, fraud enforcement, and the federal response to chronic disease. The hearing was scheduled to continue after a recess and Kennedy was also due to appear before the House Appropriation Committee for a budget hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
The hearing, the first of several scheduled to review the administration’s fiscal year 2027 HHS budget request, revealed a deep partisan divide over Kennedy’s leadership and priorities, with Republicans praising his focus on prevention and fraud reduction, and Democrats warning that budget cuts and vaccine policy shifts were endangering public health.
On public health
Kennedy began his opening statement by asserting that the United States is at a “generational turning point,” arguing that decades of “failed policy and captured agencies” have fueled a chronic disease epidemic. He emphasized prevention, nutrition, and lifestyle changes as central pillars of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, contrasting them with what he described as an overreliance on reactive, profit‑driven care.
Republicans supported his policies, citing rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and chronic illness and applauding Kennedy’s overhaul of federal dietary guidelines, restrictions on petroleum‑based food dyes, and efforts to expand nutrition education in medical schools. They pointed to data on obesity and diabetes trends, arguing that dietary guideline reforms could reduce long‑term Medicare spending.
Democrats, however, challenged Kennedy’s narrative, arguing that proposed budget cuts to Medicaid, child care, Women, Infants, & Children Nutrition Program (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and public health agencies undermine prevention rather than strengthen it. Ranking Member Richard Neal (D- Mass) warned that millions of families already struggle to afford care and accused the administration of threatening hospital viability to finance tax cuts.
On vaccines and disease outbreaks
Some of the most contentious exchanges centered on vaccines and infectious disease. Multiple Democrats accused Kennedy of undermining trust in immunization programs and contributing to surging measles cases nationwide. They pointed to the suspension of certain Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine messaging campaigns and the rollback of universal recommendations for several childhood vaccines.
Kennedy denied being “anti‑vaccine,” insisting that he supports vaccination while advocating for informed consent and additional safety scrutiny. He cited expanded post‑market surveillance and parental decision‑making as consistent with public health goals.
He attributed rising measles cases to a “global epidemic” rather than U.S. policy decisions, a claim sharply disputed by several lawmakers. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) pressed Kennedy on his comments linking vaccines to adverse outcomes, citing recent pediatric deaths from measles and influenza and arguing that federal leadership, not parental choice alone, is essential to protecting children.
On Medicaid, Medicare, and coverage access
Another hot button topic was Medicaid and Medicare policy. Democrats accused the administration of cutting more than $1 trillion from Medicaid through legislative proposals and regulatory changes, warning that reduced coverage would strain emergency rooms and increase preventable deaths.
Members also pressed Kennedy on new Medicare models, such as the pilot Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model that allow private contractors to use artificial intelligence to review claims in traditional Medicare. Lawmakers cited constituent cases involving delayed treatments and worsening conditions, arguing that cost‑containment efforts were turning into barriers to care. Kennedy acknowledged problematic outcomes but said prior authorization was necessary to combat billions of dollars in waste and fraud, arguing that refinements would reduce inappropriate denials without abandoning cost controls
On rural health and hospital closures
Broad bipartisan concern emerged around rural health care. Lawmakers from both parties highlighted hospital closures, workforce shortages, and long travel times for obstetric and specialty care. Kennedy repeatedly pointed to the administration’s $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, calling it the largest investment in rural health in U.S. history. He also emphasized new funding for rural residency programs, telehealth expansion, and wage index reforms intended to reduce financial disparities between rural and urban hospitals.
On fraud, waste, and enforcement
Republicans strongly supported Kennedy’s aggressive approach to fraud enforcement, particularly in Medicare, Medicaid, and hospice care. Kennedy said HHS had shut down hundreds of fraudulent hospice operations in California and uncovered billions in improper payments tied to waiver programs and home‑care schemes.
Democrats countered that the broader administration record was inconsistent, citing presidential pardons for individuals convicted of large‑scale Medicare fraud and questioning the reinstatement of hundreds of insurance brokers previously suspended for misconduct.
On science, research, and NIH funding
Several lawmakers raised alarms about proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other research agencies. They argued that reduced funding would slow drug development, weaken U.S. scientific leadership, and push innovation overseas. Kennedy responded that certain research programs were being consolidated rather than eliminated and said his department had fast‑tracked drug approvals at record rates. He pointed to increases in gene‑therapy funding and rare‑disease pathways as evidence that innovation would continue.
Pediatric cancer research, gene therapies, and rare disease treatments featured prominently in appeals from members seeking assurances that the administration wouldn’t cut lifesaving studies.
Click here to watch the entire hearing.