Several Republicans pressed Heath and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his management of the department, particularly his COVID-19 policy, during an explosive hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

The more than three-hour hearing covered a wide range of issues but mainly focused on vaccine policy under Kennedy, who has been criticized for limiting access to vaccines by Democrats, Republicans, and non-government public health organizations. 

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Sens Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) joined several Democrats who questioned Kennedy about his support for COVID-19 vaccines following a tumultuous week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that culminated in the termination of the director, Susan Monarez.

The hearing was scheduled prior to Monarez’s termination, but it was only announced after it came to light that Monarez clashed with the Food and Drug Administration’s action, announced by Kennedy on X, to limit COVID-19 vaccine approvals to those with comorbidities that put them at risk for severe disease. 

Cassidy, Barrasso, and Tillis each also questioned Kennedy on whether he believed that President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed under his first term that fast-tracked mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during the height of the pandemic. 

Although Kennedy said that Trump does deserve the Nobel Prize for Warp Speed, Cassidy said that Kennedy engaged in litigation against the COVID-19 vaccines over severe adverse reactions during the Biden administration. 

“The reason that Operation Warp Speed was genius, is it something nobody had ever done. I don’t think any president, but President Trump could do it,” Kennedy said. “It got the vaccine to market that was perfectly matched to the virus at that time, when it was badly needed because there was low natural immunity and or people getting very badly injured by COVID.” 

Kennedy defended his litigation against the COVID vaccines after the Biden administration instituted vaccine mandates. 

Tillis asked Kennedy for written “definitive statement” on where he stands on the efficacy of Operation Warp Speed and the canceling of $500 million in mRNA research grants for developing new vaccines for respiratory diseases.

“I can’t conclude from the discussion today where you are on Warp Speed, so I would like a definitive statement on exactly where you are. Was it good? Was it bad? Were the things that work? Were the things that didn’t work? I can’t discern that from what you said here. I, for one, think it was a signature accomplishment of President Trump in the mRNA platform,” said Tillis.

Tillis also criticized Kennedy for firing Monarez after only working with her for 29 days following her Senate confirmation hearing.

“I don’t see how you go over four weeks from [calling Monarez] ‘a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials, a long time champion of [Make America Healthy Again] values, caring and compassion, and brilliant microbiologist,’” and then fire her four weeks laster, Tillis said.

“Increasingly concerned” about vaccine access

Barrasso, a physician by training, said that he has grown “increasingly concerned” since Kennedy was confirmed to HHS, particularly in light of the measles outbreak in West Texas, which started in an undervaccinated Mennonite community. 

The Wyoming senator also said that he was concerned about the upcoming decisions from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is slated to meet later this month. 

This summer, Kennedy fired the 17 existing members of ACIP and replaced them with members that were more aligned with his skepticism of the status quo with respect to vaccine policy, particularly the number of immunizations children are required to receive to enter public school. 

The agenda for ACIP’s September meeting includes a review of the vaccines on the childhood schedule. Monarez and the handful of CDC leaders who resigned last week have expressed fear that the ACIP board will vote to remove several vaccines from the childhood schedule.

“I’ve been hearing from many of my medical colleagues, people I know from medical school residency and when I practice medicine in Wyoming, and their real concerns that safe, proven vaccines like measles and hepatitis B and others could be in jeopardy, and that would put Americans at risk and reverse decades of progress,” Barrasso said. 

Cassidy similarly said that multiple physician colleagues have contacted him expressing concern and confusion regarding the decision to limit FDA approvals for COVID vaccines to those with comorbidities, as FDA approval and CDC recommendations are critical for insurance coverage in most states.

“Effectively, we’re denying people vaccines,” Cassidy said, a point that was echoed by multiple Democrats as well.

COVID deaths data

Much of the questioning on COVID-19 vaccines revolved around the number of people who died during the pandemic and the estimated one million deaths that mRNA vaccines prevented.

When pressed by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) pressed Kennedy on the number of people who died from COVID, Kennedy said that it was impossible to know because of the corruption of data under the Biden administration. 

“I don’t think anybody knows that, because the there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC,” said Kennedy

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) agreed with Kennedy that data on the efficacy of the COVID vaccine and the number of deaths due to COVID is not trustworthy because of a lack of credibility in federal public health agencies.

“Nobody knows how many covid deaths there were because the information was completely corrupted. Nobody knows how many lives were saved,” Johnson said. 

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), also a physician who was practicing during the height of the pandemic, clarified later that there was significant confusion during the pandemic as to whether patients died while infected with COVID or because of their COVID infection.

“When I was out there practicing, doing volunteer work, I was so confused myself on the numbers, people dying with COVID versus from COVID,” said Marshall. “And I still don’t think we have that message.”

Marshall said that “two things can be true,” referring to Operation Warp Speed as an achievement but also recognizing there were deep flaws in the public health system at the same time.