Overview
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who testified before Senate Finance in the morning and HELP in the afternoon Wednesday, finished a week of hearings as Chair Bill Cassidy pressed him on falling vaccination trust and disease outbreaks.
- Kennedy rejected the “anti-vaccine” label and deflected blame for measles surges, even as CDC data show 1,748 U.S. cases reported in 2026 through April 16 and lawmakers warned that confusion is growing for families and doctors.
- Asked about CDC nominee Erica Schwartz, Kennedy would not pledge to carry out her vaccine guidance without interference, though he said she could make decisions independently of CDC political appointees if confirmed.
- A March court order still blocks Kennedy’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and his CDC advisory panel replacements, and HHS has revised committee rules in ways experts say could ease workarounds to that ruling.
- Kennedy defended President Trump’s 2027 budget as necessary despite bipartisan objections to research cuts, while also moving to reshape the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force by seeking new members for a panel that helps decide which screenings insurers must cover.