RFK Jr to Senators: “We Made a Couple of Mistakes”

In a sometimes contentious hearing with senators, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended many of the changes he has made to the Department of Health and Human Services, saying the changes amounted to a consolidation of an agency that has become overgrown with multiple agencies doing similar work.

Kennedy was meeting with the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) to discuss the changes he has made to the agency since he was confirmed to lead HHS. He faced tough questions from both Democrat and Republican senators alike about cuts to Medicaid, research programs, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), as well as about measles and vaccines.

“The budget from my agency increased by 38% over the [President Joseph] Biden administration, and Americans got sicker, and more Americans overdosed, and more Americans died from cancer. We have now an epidemic of colorectal cancers, the chronic disease rate has [grown], and the autism rate is now one in 31 children,” he said during questioning.

But he acknowledged that the changes have been painful, and they made a few mistakes and have since reversed some decisions.

“There is an understanding that the longer that you wait, the more the inertia kicks in,” he said. “We understood that there would be some mistakes made, and that we would go back and reverse them when they were made, but it was more important to take decisive action quickly that could eliminate the metastasizing of this agency growing and going as our health declined.”

Bernie Sanders, a Democrat from Vermont and the ranking member of the HELP committee, said all of Congress wants to make the government more efficient and cost-effective. “What we want and what the American people want the federal government to play a major role in continuing its efforts to combat such terrible diseases as cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, and other terrible illnesses that claim the lives of millions of Americans,” he said during his opening statement. “I have heard from citizens, patients, and doctors in Vermont and all over this country who are deeply concerned that under the leadership of you and Mr. Musk, the Trump administration.

Sanders pointed out that at least $13.5 billion in healthcare funding has been terminated, including more than 1,600 grants to conduct vital research into cancer prevention, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among many other medical research investments. This, he said, reverses more than a decade of investment in medical research.

Throughout much of the hearing, Kennedy struggled to answer questions many of the senators had about specific programs, saying he would work with them to address any issues. He insisted the cuts being made throughout the agency were not true cuts but a reorganization to address fraud and waste.

Related: Kennedy Proposes Massive Reorganization, Staff Cuts at HHS

Kennedy faced questions from senators about the changes to NIOSH and other research arms within HHS, and many of the senators had questions about women’s health programs. The changes to NIOSH, in particular, were of concern to several senators on the committee.

NIOSH is located with the CDC and studies and makes recommendations on workplace safety and the health of workers. The Trump administration had planned to downsize NIOSH by about 90%. After backlash, however, Kennedy said that 328 workers at NIOSH will be reinstated, mainly in the Cleveland, West Virginia office and for the World Trade Center site.

Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington state, said the NIOSH office in the Spokane research lab does “essential work to protect minors, firefighters, and farmworkers—people who work in dangerous conditions. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to how you made these decisions.”

Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said NIOSH is critical for the state’s commercial fishing safety and could leave the fishing fleet out of compliance with Coast Guard safety regulations.

John Hickenlooper, a Democrat in Colorado, pointed out the budgets of the NIOSH offices are not likely to increase the deficit. “We know this is successful and essential, and not just for Colorado but almost every Western state. You’re saving such a small amount of money for something that’s so important. Someone’s got to take a stand for these things that are minor financial benefits but significant losses to how we provide safety for workers and our citizens.

Kennedy agreed to work with all three of the senators for a solution but said the work of NIOSH would not be interrupted. But Murry responded that it’s “impossible to fire 90% of the people and assume the work gets done.”

Murray also questioned Kennedy about his cuts to programs that fund clinical research, specifically at the NIH Clinical Center, a hospital focused on research. There are about 1,600 studies in progress at the NIH Clinical Center. About half are studies of the natural history of disease, especially rare diseases.

Kennedy insisted that no changes be made to programs that do clinical trials or basic research. The cuts have been made to administrative positions, “as far as I know.”