Senators press HHS nominees over measles outbreak, vaccines and Secretary Kennedy's public statements

Senators at the Senate Finance Committee hearing pressed Jim O'Neil and Gary Andres about Department of Health and Human Services leadership and the response to recent public-health crises, with sustained focus on the national measles outbreak and statements by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Lawmakers said agency rhetoric and personnel moves have undermined public trust during outbreaks, and they asked whether the nominees would counsel the secretary differently. The exchanges focused on verifiable facts from the hearing — case counts cited by senators, reported staff reductions, cancelled research, and nominees' stated positions — rather than on outside analysis.

The issue matters because HHS and CDC guidance shape vaccination policy, outbreak response, and public confidence in preventive measures. Several senators described recent statements and actions by the secretary as dangerous and said the department has moved away from evidence-based guidance.

Ranking Member Ron Wyden opened by citing the scope of the outbreak: "As of Friday, there have been 935 cases reported across 30 states," and he told the committee he was concerned that Secretary Kennedy "continues to offer up lies and junk science that are dissuading parents from vaccinating their kids." Wyden also read a quote he attributed to Secretary Kennedy about Americans living with autism: "These are kids who will never pay taxes. They'll never hold a job. They'll never play baseball. They'll never write a poem," and he said those comments were "bone-chilling." Wyden and other senators said the comments and certain program changes have discouraged parents from seeking care and diagnosis.

Senator Elizabeth Warren critiqued multiple actions by Secretary Kennedy, saying, "Secretary Kennedy has fired the experts, peddled dangerous conspiracy theories, and moved HHS decision making into the shadows," and asked whether O'Neil would have advised against such steps. Senator Warren also asked whether O'Neil would advise differently on the agency's handling of avian flu.

O'Neil repeatedly affirmed his support for vaccination and the MMR vaccine in particular. He told the committee, "I strongly support vaccines. I think they're the greatest [public health intervention]...I've received it. So have my children." He said physicians and the department should pursue "the best and most rigorous science" and that medical professionals should lead medical guidance. When asked directly whether the secretary's response to measles was effective, O'Neil said the secretary "has advocated parents get the MMR vaccine" and that he agreed with that advocacy; he also said he had not been involved in the secretary's internal decisions.

Some senators pressed for yes-or-no answers. Senator Wyden asked O'Neil whether he supported proposed Medicaid cuts; O'Neil declined a simple yes-or-no and said he supports focusing Medicaid on ‘‘protecting the most vulnerable populations.'' On whether he agreed with specific Kennedy statements about autism, O'Neil said he believed the secretary was speaking about severe autism and replied in some cases that "I believe that is true in some cases," emphasizing the heterogeneity of the spectrum and the need for research.

Other senators reiterated concerns about nonstandard medical claims reportedly broadcast by the secretary and asked whether O'Neil would ensure that HHS medical professionals' recommendations prevail. O'Neil said he would rely on physicians and rigorous science but also noted he had not reviewed the specific studies some senators cited and offered to review them.

Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maggie Hassan raised the collateral effects of HHS staffing reductions on surveillance and research; Warren and Wyden said research on vaccine hesitancy was canceled and CDC analyses had been withdrawn. O'Neil said that if confirmed he would work to preserve essential functions and correct mistakes.

Ending: The nominees' answers — firm endorsements of vaccines coupled with repeated statements that they were not involved in prior decisions — left several senators unconvinced that the department's current approach would change. Senators said they would follow up with written questions and expect detailed responses during the committee's ongoing oversight of HHS.