Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called out hostile democrats during a House budget hearing Tuesday, deploying a list he brought of lawmakers who have received donations from Big Pharma.
As Democrat members each attempted to score “gotcha” moments against him, RFK Jr. had a few “gotchas” of his own.
The fireworks came as the health secretary testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce during a hearing about the department’s 2026 budget.
Lawmakers grilled him on an array of topics, with Democrats accusing him of being untransparent and lying about changes to vaccine oversight.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) blasted Kennedy for making decisions about vaccines “with no public comment process.”
The HHS secretary responded that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) committee, which is a public panel, is responsible for regulating vaccines.
Pallone shot back: “You fired the committee! You fired the ACIP!”
Kennedy casually responded: “I fired people who had conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry. That committee has been a template for medical malpractice for 30 years.”
As Pallone was still stuttering a response, RFK Jr. reminded him that he was once a strong advocate for the vaccine injured.
“If I can take a minute to respond to something that Congressman Pallone said,” Kennedy began. “Fifteen years ago, you and I met. You were at that time a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines.”
Kennedy added: “You were very adamant about it—you were the leading member of Congress on that issue!”
The secretary’s next comments caused Democrats in the chamber to erupt in fury.
“Since then, you’ve accepted $2 million from pharmaceutical companies in contributions—more than any other member of this committee,” RFK Jr. noted. “And your enthusiasm for supporting the old ACIP committee, which was completely rife and pervasive with pharmaceutical conflicts, seems to be an outcome of those contributions.”
As Democrats shouted their objections, Chairman Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) called for order and asked Kennedy if he wanted to retract the comment.
Kennedy didn’t argue as the damage was done. Smiling, he said, “they’re retracted.”
When Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) tried to make the case that one of RFK Jr.’s advisers has significant conflicts of interest, RFK Jr. hit back with a conflict of interest accusation of his own.
Auchincloss pointed out that HHS special government employee Calley Means is the co-founder of the company Truemed, which sells fitness tools and supplements that can be bought with government funds.
“So that’s a direct revenue stream for his company while he’s working in the government,” Auchincloss said, going on to press Kennedy on whether he would require Means to sign financial disclosure forms.
Kennedy said that he didn’t have the power to force Means to do that, but took the opportunity to ask Auchincloss if had accepted $400,000 from pharmaceutical companies.
The secretary at this point held up his list of lawmakers who have received contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.
“The reason you know that is because I have financial disclosure forms, and I’m asking him to submit the same thing,” Auchincloss shot back defensively.
A huge part of the health secretary’s MAHA agenda is to put a stop to the conflicts of interest that prioritize profit over health.
In his opening statement, Kennedy didn’t mince words in describing America’s healthcare crisis.
“The United States remains the SICKEST developed nation,” he said. “And yet we spend $4.5 trillion annually on healthcare—2 to 3 times more per capita than comparable nations.”
The health secretary maintained that the current state of affairs isn’t just wasteful, it’s unsustainable because healthcare costs are growing faster than the economy while outcomes are getting worse.
“If we don’t stanch this trend, we will ransom our children to bankruptcy, servitude and disastrous health consequences,” Kennedy stated, adding “We won’t solve this problem by throwing more money at it. We must spend smarter.”
The HHS secretary said to remedy the situation, the public health bureaucracy needed to be trimmed and its incentives realigned. He said the goal is to redirect funds toward things that actually improve health—not just manage disease.
The newly appointed ACIP panel was scheduled to hold its first meeting in Atlanta, Wednesday, after Kennedy fired all 17 members earlier this month.
RFK Jr. said he made the drastic move “to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.”
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the safety, efficacy and clinical need of the nation’s vaccines.
“Vaccines are not all good or bad,” Dr. Martin Kulldorff, the new ACIP chair, said in opening remarks.
“If you think that all vaccines are safe and effective and want them all, or if you think that all vaccines are dangerous and don’t want any of them, then you don’t have much use for us. You already know what you want,” said Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist, the co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which questioned lockdowns and other regrettable public health measures early in the Covid-19 pandemic.
“But if you wish to know which vaccines are suitable for you and your children and at what ages, then we will provide you with evidence-based recommendations,” he added.
The panel was expected to evaluate data on Covid-19 shots and RSV shots, and vote on recommendations for the latter, according to CNBC.
The group will meet again on Thursday to review data on vaccines for the flu and other diseases.