The Big Story 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face questions Wednesday from lawmakers for the first time since his confirmation hearings. 

© AP

Since taking the reins as HHS chief, Kennedy has overseen a significant dismantling of the department. Thousands of staffers were fired across its agencies, while some offices were gutted completely. HHS has also cancelled billions of dollars in federal grants to universities and public health departments. 

At the same time, the deadliest measles outbreak in decades has been sweeping across the Southwest, concentrated primarily among unvaccinated communities in Texas.

Kennedy, who is the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, has muddied his messaging about the importance of the MMR shot in an effort to appeal to both the general public and the anti-vaccine hardliners.

He’s encouraged people to get the MMR vaccine, but at the same time has said it has “problems” and falsely claimed it contains aborted fetal debris and DNA fragments. 

It’s likely he’ll be grilled on all of it in the House and then the Senate. 

Officially, Kennedy will be testifying in support of the Trump administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. But the plan includes even deeper cuts than have already been made — it would slash a quarter of the agency’s funding. 

According to prepared testimony posted by the House Appropriations Committee, Kennedy plans to defend efforts to “cut government bloat.” 

The restructuring “will allow us to act more nimbly and focus on the core mission of improving the nation’s health,” he will say, while vowing more cuts.

HHS has instituted “significant workforce reductions” while identifying more than $13 billion anticipated in contract savings, Kennedy’s statement reads. “And there is more to come.” 

Notably, Kennedy will face questions from Senate HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who publicly struggled with whether to support Kennedy’s nomination. Public health experts want Cassidy to turn up the heat on Kennedy, especially regarding vaccines. But Cassidy has so far refrained from publicly criticizing the secretary. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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