Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

Senators press nominee on NIH, CDC staffing, transparency and potential buyouts; nominee pledges "radical transparency"

2247204 · January 29, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would run HHS with "radical transparency" and pledged not to fire employees who were doing their jobs, but senators pressed him about reported plans to cut political and career staff at NIH and CDC and about a White House directive temporarily limiting agency communications.

Senators on the Finance Committee probed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his plans for HHS agencies — particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — and on the nominee’s vow to increase agency transparency.

Sen. Mark Warner asked Kennedy whether he planned to cut NIH staff; the senator cited reports that Kennedy favored removing 600 NIH workers and up to 2,200 HHS positions. Kennedy replied that administration turnover of political appointees is routine, said he supported protecting employees who “are doing their…

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to keep reading

Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.

  • Unlimited articles
  • AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
  • Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
  • Follow topics and more locations
  • 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
30-day money-back on paid plans