Lawmakers press HHS on leadership, vaccine claims and SNAP/Medicaid cuts during hearing

Several House members used the Oversight and Reform subcommittee hearing to press acting Assistant Secretary for Health Dorothy Fink about Department of Health and Human Services leadership and public messaging, including questions about Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s associations and statements about vaccines.

Representative (unnamed in transcript) displayed flight logs and cited media interviews referencing Secretary Kennedy’s social contacts; Representative Krishnamoorthi and others said they would seek to interview the secretary under oath about those relationships. Fink declined to address those items in detail and repeatedly redirected to the hearing’s stated subject: childhood chronic disease and nutrition. “I would really love to talk about chronic disease today,” she said.

Multiple members warned about what they described as a dismantling of public health capacity at HHS: firing or removal of senior staff at CDC and other components, and an internal letter from more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees demanding the secretary’s resignation was entered into the record by Representative Simon. Members linking those personnel changes and messaging to public‑health risks cited reported increases in measles cases and declines in vaccination coverage. One member said more than 1,400 measles cases had been reported in the U.S. in the year cited across 42 jurisdictions.

Lawmakers also raised questions about hotline services for youth. Representatives cited SAMHSA reports of rising call volumes to LGBTQ youth crisis lines and questioned whether specialized hotlines had been ended; Fink said she did not oversee SAMHSA directly and could not confirm operational details for the hotline but did not dispute the rising demand figures referenced by members.

Several members, including Representatives Gill, Simon and Crockett, linked proposed SNAP and Medicaid cuts to immediate harm for children and families. Witnesses and members cited estimates and projections: one member referenced CBO projections that certain policy proposals could make 15,000,000 Americans lose coverage and that at least 300,000 families with children 14 and older could lose SNAP eligibility; another cited a projection of up to 9,000,000,000 fewer meals resulting from SNAP reductions. Witnesses said agencies are collaborating on program reforms and waivers but declined to describe pending appropriations outcomes.

Critics on the committee expressed deep concern that changes at HHS and USDA — including program cuts, staff reductions, and agency reorganizations — will worsen hunger, limit research and reduce the federal capacity to respond to outbreaks. Supporters of the administration’s approach described the focus on prevention, nutrition and questioning of pharmaceutical and processed‑food industry influence as necessary to reverse long‑term health trends.

The hearing record will include written statements from the witnesses and members; both agencies were invited to respond to follow‑up questions and submit materials for the record.