RFK Jr. defends his health agenda and Trump's proposed budget cuts in hearing

Health RFK Jr. defends his health agenda and Trump's proposed budget cuts in hearing April 16, 202611:46 AM ET By  Will Stone Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during a hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Capitol Hill on April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Heather Diehl/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Heather Diehl/Getty Images In his first appearance on Capitol Hill this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his record in running the Department of Health and Human Services. On Thursday, Kennedy testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, playing up his agency's accomplishments on a range of issues — from drug price negotiations to the new dietary guidelines — and did his best to sidestep criticism of his controversial actions on vaccines. "We're ending the era of federal policies that fueled the chronic disease epidemic and replacing them with policies that put the health of Americans first," Kennedy declared in his opening remarks to the committee. Sponsor Message Health RFK Jr. made promises to get his job as health secretary. He's broken many of them During testimony, Kennedy also took questions about the Trump administration's proposal to cut his agency's budget in the coming fiscal year by close to $16 billion, which would amount to a 12.5% cut from last year. Kennedy received a mostly warm reception from Republicans on the committee who asked him how his agency is handling fraud at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, rural health care and other issues of interest in their districts. Meanwhile, Democrats took the opportunity to grill Kennedy on the upsurge in vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, under his watch and the weakening of the childhood vaccine schedule. (Kennedy's efforts to overhaul the vaccine schedule is currently blocked by the courts.) "Kids have died because measles is running rampant under your watch," said Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democra...