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• Content META

  Title	RFK Jr. faces fiery questions amid CDC exodus and other Senate hearing takeaways
  ID	13001907
  External ID	8003326032
  Author	Phillip M. Bailey
  Published Date	Sept. 4, 2025, 1:43 p.m.
  Summary	Democratic and Republican senators blasted the health and human services secretary amid turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC director Susan Monarez was ousted after diffe
  Tags	None
  URL	https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/04/rfk-jr-record-cdc-covid-resign/85969884007/
  Sentiment	Negative: 0.80676    Neutral: 0.17434    Positive: 0.01890
  Relevance	0.00760

• Content Details

  Content ID	8262311
  Key	18a7aeb8-5386-47b7-9cac-8d4e3e707eec
  Content	Democratic and Republican senators blasted the health and human services secretary amid turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC director Susan Monarez was ousted after differing vaccine policies with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a hostile Senate committee hearing on Sept. 4 as lawmakers pummeled the Health secretary's changes to the department amid major overhauls at There has been a , including the loss of its director, but others left in protest of Kennedy's leadership and his controversial views on vaccines. The departures have sparked turmoil that has grabbed the nation's attention, a clamor even some of the Trump find hard to ignore. "We need stability," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said during a Sept. 3 press conference. "He's in charge of the department, and he needs to restore public trust in the CDC." That same day, more than officials called for Kennedy to step down from his position, saying he was “endangering the nation's health by spreading inaccurate health information.” Kennedy has a history of promoting conspiracy theories related to vaccines that have alarmed experts, but have been cheered by MAGA-aligned skeptics and other conservative-leaning activists still angry about COVID-19 regulations. In May, on access to COVID-19 vaccines. The Senate Finance Committee's fiery hearing − which was punctuated by disruptions from protesters − comes as the administration looks to promote its "Make America Healthy Again" commission, which promises to deliver an action plan to combat chronic diseases in children. But that plan has yet to be released to the public, and calls for Kennedy's resignation or firing have intensified among Democrats and health experts. Here are several key moments from the Sept. 4 meeting. defends CDC firings and slams COVID-19 regulations Kennedy didn't mince words at the beginning of his remarks, saying the Trump administration is pouring resources into combating chronic diseases that he testified have reached critical numbers in the country and require radical action. "Under 's leadership, we at HHS are enacting a once-in-a-generation shift from a sick-care system to a true health care system that tackles the root causes of chronic disease," he said. The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy initially refused to say COVID-19 vaccines had saved lives or acknowledge that more than when prodded by senators. Instead, he defended the CDC ousters, arguing the agency failed during the COVID-19 pandemic, blaming the agency for businesses closures, masking of students at schools and other mandates (many of which were initiated by state governments) that infuriated right-leaning skeptics during the global crisis. "The people at the CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving," he said. Democrats and health experts hold 'Fire RFK' rally as protester disrupts hearing About an hour before Kennedy faced tough questions and sharp exchanges primarily from Democratic senators, a rally was held featuring many of those same committee members and other experts who believe he is "unfit" for the role. "He absolutely must go," Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Maryland, said at the rally before the hearing. "The American people do not deserve to have their health endangered by an HHS secretary who thinks he knows better than experts." During Kennedy's opening statement, an unidentified protester in a wheelchair shouted at Kennedy about "prior authorization," which is required for insurance coverage on certain medical procedures. The woman yelled that Kennedy was "killing millions of people." She was then ushered out of the hearing room. Kennedy has long been criticized for his controversial views on vaccines and promoting that they are linked to autism At one point during the hearing, the Health secretary claimed that Black boys who receive the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine have a higher risk of autism, which has never been verified by scientists. Earlier this year, he was criticized for about a measles outbreak that began in Texas, and he dodged questions about how many Americans died from COVID-19. Many Democrats slammed Kennedy for firing the members of a vaccine advisory panel and , which is used in the two most common COVID-19 vaccines. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, said that Kennedy has been fueling "mistrust" in the U.S. health care system and that he has "elevated conspiracy theorists, crackpots and grifters" in critical positions that impact life-or-death decisions for Americans. Cassidy presses RFK Jr. on COVID-19 vaccines One wrinkle of the hearing that might catch political observers' attention is the exchange between Kennedy and , who was the swing vote during Kennedy's confirmation process in January. The Pelican State lawmaker was critical of the CDC departures a week ago, responding in a that the by a committee he leads. During the Sept. 4 hearing, Cassidy pressed Kennedy about how he could believe Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for delivering the COVID-19 vaccine during his first term if he previously said the vaccine "killed more people" than the disease, which Kennedy denied saying. Cassidy also blasted the health secretary for opposing access to the COVID-19 vaccine when he was an attorney for the , an anti-vaccination nonprofit he led during the pandemic. "It surprises me that you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed when, as an attorney, you attempted to restrict access," Cassidy said. "You've cancelled 500 million contracts using the mRNA platform that was critical for Operation Warp Speed." Americans want vaccines to be more available, polling finds The rift over vaccines, typified by Kennedy's hearing, remains a hot button in U.S. politics with Republican-controlled states expressing ongoing skepticism about long-accepted science in the wake of the pandemic. But a released this week shows that 74% of Americans believe government policies should make vaccines more available. It finds most support health officials urging parents to vaccinate children against diseases, including 57% of Republican and 68% of independent voters. In terms of Kennedy's effort to improve America's food supply and other priorities, such as prescription medications for children, an conducted in June found wide support for some of his policy goals among voters. That survey found 87% of respondents believe federal officials should do more to ensure that food is safe, and 90% want it to be easier for Americans to understand food safety guidelines. Many Republican senators gave Kennedy a wide lane to defend his positions and the need for a massive health and wellness push in the country during the Sept. 4 hearing. But overall, there has been noticeable opposition to Kennedy's leadership among voters: 43% disapproved of how he is handling his job and 36% approved, released in June. Kennedy says outgoing CDC director is lying about ouster At various points, senators from both parties asked Kennedy about what happened to Susan as head of CDC last week. "I told her that she had to resign because I asked her, ‘Are you a trustworthy person?' And she said, 'No,'" Kennedy told lawmakers. The remark is bound to create headlines, given he has declined to discuss his interactions with Monarez, who alleged in on Sept. 4 that she was asked by Kennedy to pre-approve recommendations by a newly installed panel "filled with people who have publicly expressed anti-vaccine rhetoric." "Did you, in fact, do what Director Monarez said you did?" Wyden asked during the hearing. "No, I did not," Kennedy said. "So she's lying today to the American people in the Wall Street Journal?" asked Wyden. “Yes, sir,” responded Kennedy.
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• Publisher

  Publisher Name	USA TODAY (#86)
  Publisher URL	https://www.usatoday.com
  Description	None
  Trust Flow Score	72
  Citation Flow Score	77

• Data Source

  Data Source Name	Quantexa News (#5)
  Data Source Type	news
  Data Source URL	https://app.aylien.com/dashboard
  Description	Welcome to Quantexa News API — the most powerful way to aggregate, filter, and integrate global news data into your apps and models.
  Weight	10