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Democrats on Senate Finance Committee assail HHS secretary's actions, request witness sworn
Summary
Unidentified Democratic senator accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of elevating anti‑vaccine figures, undermining CDC leadership and endangering children, entered a staff report into the record by unanimous consent, and unsuccessfully asked that the secretary be sworn before his opening statement.
Unidentified Senator, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, opened the hearing by saying, "The United States is in the midst of a health care calamity," and accused Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of actions that Democrats said undermine vaccines and public‑health agencies. The senator said staff, in partnership with Senator Alsobrook's team, was releasing a report detailing what the senator described as problems during Kennedy's first 203 days in office and asked that the report be entered into the record; the chair responded, "Without objection."
The senator alleged senior leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were fired or resigned amid pressure tied to Kennedy's opposition to vaccines, accused the secretary of elevating "conspiracy theorists, crackpots, and grifters" to policymaking roles, and said some new panel members had "appeared as paid witnesses in lawsuits against vaccine makers." The senator also said the full disclosures of conflicts of interest remained hidden.
The senator criticized recent federal policy changes Congress enacted to pay for tax cuts, calling them "the largest health care cuts in American history," and urged Congress to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits to avoid a sharp increase in premiums for people who buy insurance on their own. The senator cited local impacts, saying hospitals and nursing facilities were already feeling pressure and specifically referenced Providence Seaside Hospital's announced decision to shut down its labor and delivery unit.
On immigration‑related actions, the senator alleged that "under the cover of darkness" the administration had attempted to send unaccompanied children to Guatemala and characterized those actions as illegal, citing lawyers and documents the senator said were in staff hands. The senator also referred to other public allegations about Kennedy's past associates while urging that Kennedy be removed or asked to resign.
As part of a procedural move, the senator asked the chair to "formally swear in Robert Kennedy as a witness" before testimony; the chair said he would "personally object" to that request and that the committee would "treat this witness as we treat all of the other administration witnesses who come before us." The chair said the committee would allow the secretary to make "his own case" in an opening statement and then invited "Mr. Secretary" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to give that statement.
What happened next: the committee heard opening statements and moved to hear the witness's testimony. The hearing record includes the staff report the senator said was submitted for the record; the committee did not adopt a separate order to swear the witness before his statement.
Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the hearing transcript as "Unidentified Senator" (first appearing at SEG 001) and "Unidentified Chair" (first appearing at SEG 036). Direct quotes in this article come from those participants' remarks during the hearing.
