Updated: May 14 at 5:20 p.m. ET
Kennedy in the dark on public health grant cancellations
Secretary Kennedy appeared unaware the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cancelled upwards of $11 billion in COVID-19 and public health grants to states, local governments and nonprofits earlier this year during a line of questioning with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT, in a Senate HELP committee hearing over the department's fiscal year 2026 budget request.
"You cancelled $12 billion in grants to the states, including my state, that are used to administer and track vaccines," he told Kennedy.
"When did I do that?" he asked Murphy.
Murphy asked Kennedy to let him finish his question but eventually repeated the assertion and launched into other vaccine-related concerns.
In April, a federal judge granted a request from 23 state attorneys general to issue an emergency block on the government's rescindment of billions in public health funds. The terminations were plastered across the doge.gov website, meant to highlight cost savings and waste across federal agencies.
HHS sent out grant terminations on March 24. An HHS spokesperson released a statement at the time saying "the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago. HHS is prioritizing funding projects that will deliver on President Trump’s mandate to address our chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again."
California alone lost five grants worth more than $700 million, but other states also saw tens and hundreds of millions in grant reductions. A collection of local cities and labor unions also sued HHS at the end of April.
Kennedy faced questions from both sides of the aisle on programs seemingly shuttered or transferred due to staff firings and the HHS restructuring effort. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, chair of the committee and a crucial 'yes' vote in Kennedy's march to become secretary, asked if HHS would continue to support long COVID research now that the office was closed.
"Senator, I am 100% committed to finding treatments for long COVID," he replied emphatically. "I'm deeply involved in that. Personally, I have a son who is really dramatically affected by long COVID. The COVID office was cut by an executive order from the White House. But we have everybody at NIH and CDC committed to these kinds of studies, and I can tell you personally I will make sure that they happen."
“The Biden administration failed to deliver even one FDA-approved drug for Long COVID," said Meighan Stone, executive director of the long COVID campaign. "After waiting more than five years, long COVID groups are ready to meet with Secretary Kennedy to discuss NIH research, ARPA-H priorities, FDA barriers to innovation, and why access to a non-mRNA vaccine option this fall is critical."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, asked about the healthy aging branch, which administers the BOLD Act regarding the Alzheimer's programs in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Staff in this agency have been placed on administrative leave or fired, said Collins. Kennedy said reports that the division has been liquidated are false and the programs will be reassigned under the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).
Collins is considered a moderate republican, like fellow Republican Lisa Murkowski from Alaska. She vocalized concern about delays in funding for domestic and sexual violence prevention programs. Kennedy said he would have to go back and check, but to his knowledge there should be no cuts or delays.
"It could be with the RIFs [reductions in force] you don't have people that are processing these things," posed Murkowski.
"That could be," said Kennedy.
Several Democratic senators representing western states bemoaned reductions in force at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The agency brought back some workers in West Virginia and Ohio, as well as for the World Trade Center Health Program, but the vast majority of the workforce is still gone.
"Mr. Chairman, I would just say you can't fire 90% of the people and assume the work gets done," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA. Kennedy later referred to cuts at the World Trade Center Health Program as a mistake that was rectified. Surgical cuts were not possible, Kennedy said, because the HHS has become so bloated in size that massive restructuring as soon as possible was necessary for true change.
Kennedy also said he didn't know of the national firefighter cancer registry, which is under NIOSH. He said he would work with Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ, to get the program running again.
Notably, Kennedy said the current acting director of the CDC is Matthew Buzzelli, a lawyer with no public health experience. This is the first indication there is an acting CDC director at the agency since former Acting Director Susan Monarez, M.D., was nominated for the permanent role, reported Inside Medicine. Buzzelli is listed as chief of staff on the CDC website.
Updated: May 14 at 1:10 p.m. ET
Kennedy defends HHS reorg, slams Democrats in fiery exchange during House hearing
Secretary Kennedy came out swinging against prominent Democratic House members who are part of the Appropriations committee, the first of two hearings where he will face questions today over his department's fiscal year 2026 budget request.
Repeatedly, the members questioned the administration on its willingness to eliminate or withhold funding for Congressionally approved programs, a violation, they say, of the Impoundment Control Act. Impoundment has been a central theme within Trump's first 100 days, as House members tried to get him to commit to restoring funding under the continuing resolution budget of 2025, which extended the approved budget levels of 2024.
"We are not withholding any funding for life-saving research," said Kennedy, before adding he would follow the law for spending appropriated funds. "If you appropriate the funds, I'm going to spend them."
"We have appropriated, Mr. Secretary," countered ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, several times. She later said the CDC breast cancer program has been eliminated, a violation of the 2025 budget.
Cuts to funding is particularly unnerving for members supporting National Institutes of Health research. DeLauro referred to a Senate report finding NIH research has been slashed by $2.7 billion year-over-year. Cancer research has been cut by 31%, she said.
"In your testimony, you say you want to 'rescale our biomedical research budget,'" she recalled back to him. "Excuse me, that's BS. You are not rescaling NIH research. You are proposing to cut it by $20 billion."
The proposed budget slams the NIH for misleading the public on research, COVID-19 and health equity. It calls for eliminating funding to the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities and cutting $17.97 billion.
At times during the hearing, Kennedy criticized Democrats for alleging programs are in the process of being cut. He said many services will still be operational, but redundant offices will be consolidated. Other branches will be moved under the newly created AHA. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-PA, called this approach the "shift and shaft" method to bury successful programs no longer a key priority into a new department.
Kennedy referred several times to a court order preventing discussion over the specifics of certain offices that will be moved under the reorganization. But he sparred with DeLauro throughout the hearing as he defended the agency's actions and grew visibly frustrated.
"Let me answer that by pointing out the absolute cataclysmic disorganization of this agency under your oversight for 40 years," he sniped, answering a question related to CDC tobacco prevention programs. "We had nine separate offices of women's health. When we consolidate the Democrats say we're eliminating them. We're not. We're still appropriating the $3.7 billion. We had eight separate offices for minority offices. We eliminated one."
DeLauro asked for a list of which programs have been eliminated, with rationale and criteria of the decisions. Toward the end of the hearing, she expressed exasperation again after hearing another Republican member thank Kennedy for restoring workers in his district at NIOSH.
"I don't understand why Republicans get to call you to spare offices like NIOSH," she said. "Who do Democrats have to call? Is there a special phone number if I want to save tobacco prevention [or] lead poisoning [programs]?"
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-WI, took a more diplomatic approach with Kennedy, but asked him if he would vaccinate his own children for measles, chickenpox or polio. Kennedy, the nation's top health official, answered he "probably would" for measles after hesitating, but did not give his opinion on chickenpox or measles.
"My opinions on vaccines are irrelevant," he said. "I don't want it to seem like I'm evasive but I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me."
He later told Pocan he wants to go after waste in Medicare Advantage but believes the program offers better benefits than traditional Medicare.
Kennedy also faced questions on food regulations and recent banning of synthetic food colorings. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-TN, said he represents manufacturers in his district like McKee Foods and Mars Inc, and feels the banned colorings are safe. Now, he worries about the safety, and costs associated, with the replacements manufacturers will deploy.
Later, Kennedy took an opportunity to swipe at DeLauro again on an answer about dietary guidelines.
"Congresswoman DeLauro, you say that you've worked for 20 years on getting food dye out," he exclaimed. "Give me credit. I got it out in 100 days."
Updated: May 14 at 9:10 a.m. ET
Disease prevention orgs ramp up pressure on Kennedy ahead of Congressional hearings
A whirlwind week in Congress is continuing today as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. meets before two committees to defend his agency's upcoming budget cuts.
Ahead of the hearing, leaders at four patient advocacy groups urged the Trump administration to protect funding for biomedical research and disease prevention.
“We are at a crossroads right now,” said Russ Paulsen, chief operating officer with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “Down one path is continued progress in our quest to a cure. Down another path lies misery and suffering for millions of Americans.”
“Unfortunately, cancer cures are in jeopardy due to this dramatic and unprecedented reduction in research and funding that we’ve seen in staff eliminations and policy shifts and at the NIH,” said Julie Nickson, director of federal relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. She added cuts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products and the CDC offices for smoking and cancer prevention pose additional threats.
The new administration maintains that critical programs are still operational, with some to be moved under new offices, and the department is simply getting leaner and more efficient.
In opening remarks to the House Appropriations Committee, Kennedy’s prepared statement is expected to stress the Make America Healthy Again philosophy.
“The budget invests in methods to address chronic disease; protect American families from environmental toxins; promote nutrition as well as food and drug safety; strengthen services for American Indians and Alaska Natives; encourage innovation in America’s healthcare future; and focus resources toward proven and effective initiatives,” he will say.
Kennedy emphasizes that the new budget will save taxpayers $1.8 billion annually through workforce reductions alone.
Professional health groups are ramping up pressure on the administration. For weeks now, they’ve stressed the radical changes to the HHS could have life-threatening consequences.
“At least 60% of adults in the U.S. are expected to develop cardiovascular disease within the next 30 years, and total costs related to these conditions are likely to triple by 2050,” said Emily Holubowich, national senior vice president of federal advocacy for the American Heart Association.
Erika Sward, an assistant vice president of national advocacy for the American Lung Association, reiterated the importance of the CDC’s National Asthma Program, noting every dollar invested in the program yields $70 in benefits. The program was eliminated on April 1.
Also of grave concern is the status of the CDC Office on Smoking and Health, she said.
“While I would normally hold out hope that Congress would consider and discuss and understand the President’s request before allowing this entire center to be eliminated, I now fear the administration will just shut it down and fire the staff who have decades of experience in preventing chronic disease and improving the nation’s health, like they did with the rest of the individual programs,” she warned.
Simultaneously, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is engaged in a marathon markup hearing, where Republicans are trying to pass health priorities in a megabill.
Republicans are looking to reduce spending in Medicaid, most prominently through implementing work requirements. The Congressional Budget Office estimates at least 7.5 million Americans will lose health insurance through the current proposal.
Conservatives maintain that narrowing Medicaid protects coverage for the neediest Americans and strengthens program integrity.
Patient advocates flatly disagreed, countering that requirements are designed to kick people off of Medicaid via procedural mishaps and that most Medicaid recipients are already working.