HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defends budget and touts $50B rural health plan, vows stricter fraud enforcement at Ways and Means hearing

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the administration's 2027 budget request on the House Ways and Means Committee's dais on Thursday, saying it centers on prevention, transparency and a five-year, $50 billion rural health transformation fund intended to shore up struggling rural hospitals and expand access.

Kennedy, the Department of Health and Human Services secretary, told the panel that the administration was "ending the era of federal policies that fueled the chronic disease epidemic and replacing them with policies that put the health of Americans first," and pointed to recent actions on drug pricing, dietary guidance and investments in rural residency programs.

The committee pressed Kennedy across multiple fronts. Republicans and Democrats sought commitments on rural funding safeguards after members warned that urban hospitals can game federal programs, and several Democrats raised concerns about cuts to research and public-health messaging. "We need guardrails and oversight so these rural health dollars go to truly rural facilities," the chair said, urging HHS to work with states to prevent gaming of the program.

On fraud, Kennedy pledged vigorous enforcement and new tools. Committee members cited a string of high-profile schemes and asked whether the administration had vetted reinstated brokers and pardoned providers. Kennedy said he did not have direct knowledge of individual pardon consultations but described departmentwide steps to detect and block improper claims, including expanded use of AI for fraud detection and program-integrity reviews: "If we stop fraud just in Medicare, we can extend that program for another five years," he said.

A heated thread of questioning focused on vaccines and the secretary's past public remarks. Several members accused Kennedy of undermining pro-vaccine messaging and attributed rising measles totals to changes at CDC; a Democratic member raised a prior podcast remark described as suggesting "reparenting" Black children on ADHD medication. Kennedy repeatedly denied making the assertion as paraphrased and requested the recording. The exchange underscored partisan tensions over the agency's public-health posture.

Members also pressed Kennedy on operational changes at CMS, including the WISER model that allows private contractors to review Medicare claims with AI-driven prior authorization. A member described a constituent, "Joanne," who waited weeks for an approved procedure and said the model was delaying care. Kennedy acknowledged prior-authorization problems and committed to respond to outstanding letters and to work with members to address implementation gaps.

On innovation and regulation, Kennedy defended agency actions to accelerate approvals and said the administration has broken records for drug and device reviews while vowing to close the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) loophole for food additives and to expand nutrition education in medical schools. He said HHS is investing in ARPA-H projects to study and reduce microplastics and PFAS exposures.

Committee members repeatedly asked whether proposed budget line items would reduce access to care. Kennedy said Medicaid itself was not being cut and that some programs have been consolidated or restructured; he offered follow-up briefings and committed to provide requested legal memoranda and written responses.

The hearing produced no formal committee votes. Members were given two weeks to submit written questions. Kennedy pledged to follow up on No Surprises Act rule finalization, rural program guardrails and fraud investigations. The committee adjourned with multiple members reserving judgment and requesting additional documentation for the record.