FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Government Efficiency terminated employment for 3,600 probationary Health and Human Services employees on Friday — but went through a careful process to exclude those who were serving in specialized or critical roles.
More than half of the agency’s probationary employees were retained.
The cuts are estimated to save about $600 million in taxpayer dollars annually.
DOGE SAYS IT DUG UP ANOTHER $1.9 BILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY ‘MISPLACED’ BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump meets with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, on Thursday, Feb. 13.(AP/Alex Brandon)
Probationary employees who were excluded from layoffs include:
Employees working on refugee and resettlement within the Administration of Children and Families (ACF)
Employees working on emergency preparedness and response within Administration for Strategy Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other divisions of HHS
Scientists conducting research at the CDC and National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Frontline healthcare providers at the Indian Health Service (HIS)
Employees working on Medicare and Medicaid at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Employees reviewing and approving drugs or conducting inspections at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
DOGE identified critical employees by first considering key functions of HHS — frontline healthcare providers, scientists conducting innovative research, personnel responding to emergencies – followed by employee roles, including work history, background, and job title screenings.
NEW SEN. JIM JUSTICE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ SHOCKED BY DEMOCRATS’ RESPONSE TO ELON MUSK’S DOGE REVELATIONS
Demonstrators rally in support of federal workers outside the Department of Health and Human Services, Friday, Feb. 14, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
“In many cases where there was a lack of clarity, we worked directly with folks who either knew the employees or knew the work of the division to clarify the exact work they were doing,” a Trump administration official said.
While the exact process will differ with each federal agency DOGE examines, key functions, specialized responsibilities, and individual roles will be considered for each workforce-cutting analysis. HHS received special attention — especially within the CDC, with meticulous consideration of research functions, lab work, and outbreak surveillance and response.
“Healthcare is obviously an important goal for the new Secretary, for the President,” the official said. “We want to make the government more efficient and want to reduce the size of the federal workforce, but we also want to make sure we’re very thoughtful about the critical functions that the government needs to perform.”
Officials said DOGE does not begin any evaluation with any predetermined cost-cutting goal, and there is no official order through which federal agencies are lining up for examination.
People rally against the policies of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 12.(AP/Jose Luis Magana)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Typically, contracts and grants are the two main mechanisms the federal government has for dispersing funds,” the official told Fox News. “And then we’re also thinking about regulations. Every agency is different, but the things we’re looking at are pretty similar across every agency.”
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Jacqui Heinrich currently serves as a Senior White House correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined the network in September 2018 and is based out of Washington D.C.
Senate Democrats railed against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a late-night session Wednesday ahead of his confirmation vote to potentially become the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Kennedy’s confirmation vote is expected around 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, but Democrat senators spent the evening before condemning former President Donald Trump’s HHS pick on a number of issues.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described Kennedy as “obviously unqualified,” “obviously fringe,” and as holding views “obviously detrimental to the well-being of the American people.”
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not remotely qualified to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” Schumer said. “Robert F. Kennedy might be the least qualified people the president could have chosen for the job. It’s almost as if Mr. Kennedy’s beliefs, history and background were tailor-made to be the exact opposite of what the job demands.”
RFK JR NOMINATION TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S HEALTH SECRETARY CLEARS KEY HURDLE IN SENATE
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington.(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr)
Referencing Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard, the newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence, Schumer accused Republican senators of “rubber-stamping people no matter how fringe they are.”
“The HHS is an agency that depends on science, on evidence and impartiality to ensure the well-being of over 330 million Americans. HHS ensures we eat safe food, purchase reliable medication, oversee Medicare benefits and approve the use of lifesaving vaccines. Most importantly, a good HHS secretary makes sure the American people have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Mr. Kennedy, unfortunately, is not qualified to oversee any of these things,” Schumer said. “He is neither a doctor, nor a scientist, nor a public health expert, nor a policy expert of any kind. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed given that lack of background, I deeply fear that he will rubber stamp Donald Trump’s war against healthcare, meaning we will see more of the disastrous funding cuts of the last few weeks, meaning that more people will lose health coverage, meaning that the interests of for-profit corporations and Big Pharma will come before the needs of working Americans.”
On the Senate floor, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., read again the letter from Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Australia under the Biden administration.
Her letter, which she released ahead of RFK Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing last month, said, “Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out. Overseeing the FDA, the NIH and the CDC and the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us is an enormous responsibility, and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government financial management or medical expertise. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.”
Caroline Kennedy went on to write, “I have known Bobby all my life. We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.” Her letter said, “While he may encourage a younger generation to attend AA meetings, Bobby is addicted to attention and power. Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own children while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.”
“My view? Robert Kennedy has spent his considerable talent promoting misinformation to vulnerable people who have motives we all have and that is the well-being of people we love. You know, some of the things that Mr. Kennedy said when he’s attacking vaccines, they’re not based at all on science, but they appeal to people’s distrust of the standard medical profession,” Welch said. “He’s promoting it using the magic of the Kennedy name. The credibility that comes from being a member of one of the most starry political families in the history of our country.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., came to the floor to voice his “strong opposition” to Kennedy.
DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS FIRST HEARING SLAMMING $36T NATIONAL DEBT, AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS DECLARE ‘WAR ON WASTE’
“Mr. Kennedy says that he’ll always follow the evidence no matter where it leads. Well, if you look at his record, he hasn’t done that,” Hollen said.
The senator said Kennedy has “no experience, no qualifications in the vast majority” of the wide range of subjects HHS covers, naming how the department “provides quality control for reproductive health services,” “ensures that contraception are covered under the Affordable Care Act, and it makes sure that Americans can have access to over-the-counter options” and also includes programs for early childhood development, the elderly and the disabled.
“I don’t think any of us expect that one Secretary of HHS can know everything. But if you monitored the hearings and listened to Mr. Kennedy’s answers, you can see that Mr. Kennedy knows virtually nothing about all those important subjects,” he said.
Van Hollen quoted former President John F. Kennedy, who said more than 60 years ago that he hoped “that the renewed drive to provide vaccination for all Americans, and particularly those who are young, will have the wholehearted support of every parent in America.”
“Unfortunately, his nephew, RFK Jr, has spent decades unraveling that hard won legacy by spreading lies and conspiracy theories about vaccines,” Van Hollen said.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was among the Democrats to speak out against HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a late night session Wednesday. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also took issue with the notoriety of the Kennedy name.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there are very few people in this country that are less qualified to run this agency than Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Murphy said. “I say that because there are few people in the country who have been so enthusiastic, so public and so impactful in their ability to take some of the wildest conspiracy theories that are out there on the internet about our health system or about our kids, or about our families, internalize them and then disseminate them in a way that does great damage.”
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asserted, “We live in the time of the greatest amount of distrust that we’ve ever seen in this country, and that is most pronounced, most clear when it comes to our health. And one of those people we need to trust the most in our country is the person who runs the Department of Health and Human Services.”
After meeting with Kennedy and reviewing his statements, Kim said, “he is not someone I can trust with my health, and in good conscience, I cannot vote for him.”
“If I cannot trust him with the health of my own kids, how can I ask the families of 9 million other New Jerseyans to do it?” Kim said. “He has too often diminished that trust in the very healthcare he would be in charge of and too often has spread disinformation about the diseases and challenges and threats that we face.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Acknowledging how Kennedy’s supporters would argue he is “fighting against a broken system” and “simply wants to make American healthy,” Kim said, “unfortunately what we’re seeing like most things coming out of this administration is corruption and conspiracy disguised as false promises of change.”
Kim said his father was disabled by polio and his mother has Lyme disease, railing against Kennedy’s claims that Lyme disease could have been engineered by the military, as well as that the polio vaccine could be linked to increased rates of cancer.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.
A group of anti-human trafficking advocates called “Safe House Project” is urging the Trump administration and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
The hotline, which is run by HHS, was started in 2007 to provide 24/7 help for victims of human trafficking.
According to Safe House Project, which offers victims a range of services, including a network of shelters, the hotline has “lost all credibility” and simply does not accomplish the goal of ending human trafficking.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIM RECOUNTS HORRORS OF LIFE AT THE MERCY OF CRIMINALS
Community members listen to Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price before a march to raise awareness of human trafficking in Oakland, California, on Jan. 24, 2023.(Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times )
After Kennedy cleared a committee vote on Tuesday, bringing him one step closer to confirmation, the nonprofit released a statement celebrating the step, saying that “our nation is in dire need of leadership that will restore it [the hotline] to fulfill its purpose of identifying victims of trafficking, supporting victims escaping from their traffickers, and helping bring swift justice to those who abuse and victimize desperate and vulnerable populations.”
In line with the Department of Government Efficiency’s mission to slash government waste, Safe House Project says HHS can reform the hotline to conserve its tax-dollar funding and save more lives at the same time.
“The American taxpayers funded the National Human trafficking hotline, and the reality is it has failed,” Safe House Project CEO Kristi Wells told Fox News Digital.
Wells claimed that people who call the hotline often have to wait upwards of 45 minutes, resulting in many people hanging up before even reporting a human trafficking incident. She also said that in many instances, hotline staff fail to return calls or to share tips with law enforcement.
DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum” at Fox News Channel Studios on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York City.(Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Wells said Kennedy will have a “phenomenal opportunity” to save thousands of lives by moving quickly to increase the efficiency of the hotline.
“The National Human Trafficking Hotline, again, has the potential to save thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives,” she continued. “And so, [since] the Department of Health and Human Services is the one that oversees the effectiveness of the hotline, it’s really important that the current administration prioritizes and really holds the current hotline accountable and making sure that the services are operating the way that they need to be operating.”
In place of the current hotline, Wells is urging HHS to leverage modern technology – such as cellphone apps and AI – to create a new system that is “fast, actionable and easy to use.”
After conducting extensive research with law enforcement entities and related NGOs, Wells said she believes a new system could be created using modern technology that would make the tax dollars being spent by the government on this go much further and accomplish more.
BIDEN BORDER CRISIS LEADING TO INCREASE IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FORMER DHS OFFICIALS WARN
Trump is pictured in front of the US Capitol Building, surrounded by fencing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 2025.(Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)
“When you’re leveraging technology, you are really creating efficiencies of scale and really increasing scale,” she said. “And so, I don’t believe that this is a solution that would cost the government more money. I think it would allow them to use the dollars that are currently being spent on a national hotline more effectively and see more effective results.”
Wells said the Trump administration “has already shown an encouraging willingness to tackle human trafficking,” but noted, “We want to do our part to make sure that this is a top priority for them and make sure that correct actions are taken to bring victims out of the shadows, to increase reporting and to increase law enforcement and prosecution of traffickers and buyers.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Human trafficking is happening all around us and we as community members have the opportunity to identify and respond to human trafficking and a new tool is really vital to us making sure that that happens,” she continued. “Whenever we have proper reporting mechanisms and we are ‘seeing something and saying something,’ then this idea that human trafficking is undercover and goes undetected is no longer the reality.”
“The reality is we’ll be able to see it more and when we start seeing it more, we’re able to empower our lawmakers with more effective data to create more effective policies. And so, I am excited about the trajectory that a more robust reporting mechanism can bring to the objective of eradicating trafficking in America.”
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is “not a slam dunk,” as President Donald Trump’s nominee works to shore up support.
In an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Fetterman said he has met with Kennedy twice in his office and that whatever his decision ends up being on the HHS nominee, it will be “an informed view.”
“I’ve invested a lot of time to really understand his background and to learn more about the man,” Fetterman said, adding: “I approached with an open mind and I watched the hearing. And that’s how the process works.”
TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS AHEAD OF CRUCIAL CONFIRMATION VOTES
Sen. John Fetterman during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Asked if he’s reached a decision on whether he’ll vote “yay” or “nay” for Kennedy, Fetterman said he has spoken to colleagues on both sides regarding the matter.
“It’s been challenging for sure. Absolutely. It’s certainly not a slam dunk for the nomination,” Fetterman told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream.
“I’ve made an investment to really understand and talk to all of the nominees, and I treated everyone with respect and I took the time to listen, and that’s been part of my commitment,” he added.
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat who switched his presidential campaign against Biden to run as an Independent before ultimately dropping from the race to back Trump, made it through back-to-back grillings by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Health Committee on Thursday. He still faces crucial committee and full Senate confirmation votes in his mission to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
VP VANCE MAKES CONFIRMATION PREDICTIONS FOR GABBARD, PATEL AND RFK, JR: ‘HAVE TO FIGHT FOR EACH ONE’
Most of the tough questions and sparring over his stances on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and other issues came from Democrats on the two committees, but Thursday’s hearing ended with the top Republican on the Health panel saying he was “struggling” with Kennedy’s nomination.
“Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told the nominee.
The physician from Louisiana, who is a crucial vote and who has voiced concerns over Kennedy’s past stance on vaccines, asked whether Kennedy can “be trusted to support the best public health.” The senator told Kennedy, who seeks to lead key health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that “you may be hearing from me over the weekend.”
Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert Kennedy Jr. walks to a meeting with Sen. John Fetterman on Capitol Hill on Jan. 9, 2025.(Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Kennedy, whose outspoken views on the pharmaceutical and food industries have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.
A strong pro-life advocate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told “Fox News Sunday” that he is supporting Kennedy despite the nominee’s past comments saying he supported codifying Roe v. Wade and abortion “even if it’s full term.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I am now OK to supporting RFK Jr. because I think during the course of the hearing he’s committed to a Republican pro-life agenda, President Trump’s pro-life agenda,” Graham said when asked about those specific past remarks from Kennedy. “So I will take him at his word. I’m comfortable with what he said on the pro-life issue. He has been radically pro-choice as a person. But I do believe that as secretary, he will implement a pro-life agenda that will be pushed by President Trump. I will be a yes, but I’ll also watch every move he makes.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.
All eyes were on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today in his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
People on the left and the right have taken potshots at Mr. Kennedy over past statements down through the years.
One respected conservative editorial page attacked Mr. Kennedy for his views on climate change, and argued that he prevented New York from drilling oil and gas in his days as an environmental lawyer.
That may well be true. But it has nothing to do with the duties and responsibilities of the Health and Human Services Secretary.
Here’s where I come out on the RFK nomination: I support it. Why? Because President Donald Trump wants him to run HHS.
‘Kudlow’ panelists Alex Marlow, Byron York and Ben Domenech discuss controversy over President Donald Trump’s HHS secretary pick.
Mr. Trump won the election, convincingly. He has a right to his nominees, barring any clear personal legal problems. And Mr. Kennedy has said time and again that he will execute President Trump’s policies at HHS.
This may be an old-fashioned viewpoint, but that’s the way the system is supposed to work.
Mr. Trump won the election, not Mr. Kennedy. Trump tells Kennedy what he wants at HHS — and Kennedy is there to implement Trump’s vision.
Things he said years ago and has now backed off, such as autism and vaccinations, are unimportant. Because people do change. And because he has assured the President that he will carry out the President’s policies.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 29: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, returns to his seat following a break during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)
One example of that showed up at the hearing today on the question of Medicaid.
Medicaid has gotten too big with 10 million more people than pre-COVID. Total spending has grown by 60% to $963 billion — a sum larger than the defense budget.
And it’s quite likely that Mr. Trump will restore incentives to work for the able-bodied, and that includes Medicaid — which is supposed to be a poverty program for those who are physically incapable of work.
Mr. Kennedy addressed his desire to reform and reduce Medicaid — as per President Trump’s policy — several times during the hearing.
“Our ship is sinking. Our 60% increase in Medicaid over the past four years – it’s the biggest budget line, and it’s growing faster than any other… We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world… This is an existential threat economically, to our military, our health, to our sense of well-being, and it is a priority for President Trump. And that’s why he asked me to run the agency, and if I’m privileged to be confirmed that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
– Robert F. Kennedy, Jr
President Trump asked him — and, if he’s privileged to be confirmed, that’s exactly what he will do. That’s how our Cabinet system works.
And, by the way, RFK is going to have some really smart people on his team. Sabarni Chatterjee, who will run the National Institutes of Health. And Marty Makary, who will run the Federal Drug Administration. These will be top-flight grade-A lieutenants who will assist Mr. Kennedy.
Kennedy also emphasized time and again that he wants HHS to be completely transparent and a major provider of reliable health-related information.
And, by the way, if he can get hospitals and doctors to provide transparent prices for their services, that would be a great leap forward in holding down health costs.
And then, finally, I confess to liking the fact that Mr. Kennedy is a Democrat, or at least a former Democrat, in President Trump’s Republican Cabinet. There’s just something about having a Kennedy serve under President Trump that strikes my fancy.
But, at the end of the day, Mr. Trump won the election, big time. He is going to enact his policies, using his designated advisers and agency heads. And, if they don’t understand that, they will soon be gone.
Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.
By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.
Please enter a valid email address.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is back on Capitol Hill for a second day of Senate confirmation hearings after a grilling by Democrats during a contentious first day on Wednesday.
Kennedy will take questions on Thursday in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
On Wednesday, in front of the Senate Finance Committee, which will vote on Kennedy’s confirmation, there were plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments by the vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump.
But Kennedy’s uneven performance didn’t appear to do damage to his confirmation, as no Republican on the panel voiced opposition to his nomination to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health. Those agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
MULTIPLE OUTBURSTS AT COMBUSTIBLE RFK JR CONFIRMATION HEARING
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be HHS secretary on Jan. 29, 2025.(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Democrats on the committee repeatedly pointed to Kennedy’s controversial vaccine views, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.
They also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.
“Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks and charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He’s made it his life’s work to sow doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines,” Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the panel, charged in his opening statement.
WATCH: RFK JR WARNS THAT AMERICA’S HEALTH IS IN ‘GRIEVIOUS CONDITION’
The senator also pointed to past Kennedy vaccine comments in podcasts, including one from 2020 when he said he would “pay anything” to be able to go back in time and not vaccinate his kids.
“Are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine? Or did you lie on all those podcasts?” Wyden asked.
Pushing back in a heated exchange, Kennedy said the statements he made on podcasts have “been repeatedly debunked.”
And he vowed he would do nothing to prevent Americans from obtaining certain vaccines.
“I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking anything,” Kennedy said.
Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado accused Kennedy of “peddling half-truths, peddling false statements.”
RFK JR ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF PUSHING DISHONEST NARRATIVE
And Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has known Kennedy for decades, dating back to their days as law school students and roommates at the University of Virginia, told his friend, “Frankly, you frighten people.”
Kennedy was also heckled multiple times near the start of the hearing.
As Kennedy delivered his opening comments and said, “News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety,” a protester shouted, “You lie.”
The heckler was led out of the hearing room by Capitol Police, as was a second protester minutes later.
And another protester was spotted in the audience holding a sign reading, “Vaccines Save Lives, No RFK JR.”
A protester holds up a sign reading, “Vaccines save lives,” as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 29, 2025.(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.
Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.
Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.
Now-President Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a campaign rally on Oct. 23, 2024, in Duluth, Ga.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In the two months since Trump’s announcement, it’s not just Democrats who’ve raised questions about Kennedy’s confirmation. Social conservative Republicans took issue with his past comments in support of abortion rights.
“My belief is we should leave it to the woman. We shouldn’t have the government involved, even if it’s full term,” Kennedy said as he ran for president.
But since endorsing Trump, Kennedy has walked back his stance on abortion. And in an exchange Wednesday with Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Kennedy said, “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy.”
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a former two-time Democrat presidential candidate, argued that Kennedy made a “major U-turn” on abortion.
Kennedy was also questioned about how he would reform Medicare and Medicaid, the massive government healthcare programs used by millions of older, disabled and low-income Americans.
“I don’t have a broad proposal for dismantling the program,” Kennedy said of Medicaid.
And he said Trump hadn’t asked him to cut the program but rather “asked me to make it better.”
Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, vowed that “if confirmed, I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track.”
While Democrats may find common ground with Kennedy’s aim to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases, Kennedy lamented that they oppose him because he’s Trump’s nominee.
“Now they’re against me because anything that President Trump does, any decision he makes, has to be lampooned, derided, discredited, marginalized, vilified,” Kennedy said.
RFK JR LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS HEALTH SECRETARY, FOX NEWS MEDICAL ANALYST PREDICTS
With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation. During Wednesday’s hearing, no Republicans appeared to oppose the nomination.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina appeared to lean into the Democrats’ attacks on Kennedy by asking, “I got a real quick question for you: Are you a conspiracy theorist?”
Kennedy answered that it “is a pejorative that’s applied to me mainly to keep me from asking difficult questions of powerful interests.”
GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, a chemical engineer, noted that there were several Republican doctors on the committee.
“We believe in science. I’m thankful that you do, too,” Daines said.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who said he had a “frank conversation” with Kennedy about immunizations when they met this month, didn’t ask about vaccines during the committee hearing. Instead, he kept his questions about federal healthcare programs, including Medicare.
Meanwhile, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin took aim at Democrats on the committee for what he claimed was “hostility on the other side. … I’m disappointed with it.”
Following Wednesday’s hearing, Democrats kept up their criticism.
“I think you saw today that he’s not backing down from any of his really crazy, loony conspiracy beliefs,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters.
And Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who is thought to be one of the few Democrats who may support Kennedy’s confirmation, said, “I don’t think it went well for him.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
But GOP Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who sits on the Finance Committee, pointed to Democrats on the panel and said, “I understand their concerns about vaccines. I think Bobby put those concerns to bed.”
And Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana told reporters that Kennedy “did great today. I expect him to do great tomorrow.”
EXCLUSIVE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will emphasize that he is not “anti-vaccine” when he appears Wednesday in Congress at the first of two straight days of Senate confirmation hearings.
“I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,” Kennedy will say in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee.
The statement was shared first with Fox News ahead of the appearance by Kennedy, who, if confirmed, would have control over 18 powerful federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
And Kennedy will emphasize he’s not “the enemy of food producers. American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security … I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”
HOW KENNEDY MAY BE TARGETED OVER HIS VACCINE VIEWS
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services.(Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
The hearing, as well as a Thursday hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (a courtesy hearing as only the Senate Finance Committee will vote on Kennedy’s confirmation), are expected to be contentious because of Kennedy’s controversial vaccine views, including his repeated claims linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.
Kennedy also served for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.
THE TAKE ON KENNEDY’S CONFIRMATION FROM FOX NEWS’ SENIOR MEDICAL ANALYST
After Trump’s convincing November presidential election victory, Kennedy has said he won’t “take away anybody’s vaccines.”
And in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing, Kennedy will spotlight that “all of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in healthcare.”
But he will also say, “In my advocacy, I have disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions. Well, I won’t apologize for that. We have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly.”
HHS is a massive federal department, with approximately 90,000 people and an annual budget of roughly $1.7 trillion. And Kennedy has said he wants to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the root causes of chronic diseases, which has garnered some bipartisan support in Congress.
Kennedy has said he would aim to overhaul dietary guidelines and take aim at ultra-processed foods, among other initiatives.
“American farms are the bedrock of our culture and national security,” Kennedy is expected to say in his opening statement. “I want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash American ingenuity.”
He will warn that “the United States has worse health than any other developed nation, yet we spend far more on healthcare — at least double; and in some cases, triple.”
TULSI GABBARD, RFK JR EXPECTED TO FACE OPPOSITION IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
And he will “thank President Trump for entrusting me to deliver on his promise to make America healthy again.”
“Should I be so privileged to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove the financial conflicts of interest in our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, science-driven HHS, accountable to the President, to Congress, and to the American people. We will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to health,” Kennedy is expected to say.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands alongside a bust of his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, outside City Hall in Nashua, N.H., on June 20, 2023.(Fox News/Paul Steinhauser )
The 71-year-old Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and crusader who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against then-President Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.
Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.
Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.
Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a Turning Point Action campaign rally on Oct. 23, 2024, in Duluth, Ga.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has been fierce, with advocacy groups running ad campaigns urging senators to vote against his confirmation.
Kennedy, in his opening statement, will “thank my wife Cheryl, who is with us here today; and all the members of my large extended family, for the love that they have so generously shared. Ours has always been a family devoted to public service, and I look forward to continuing that legacy.”
But many members of the Kennedy family were very vocal in their opposition to his primary challenge against Biden as well as his independent White House run.
And on the eve of his confirmation hearing, his well-known cousin, Caroline Kennedy, sent a letter to senators on Tuesday that charged Kennedy as one who “preys on the desperation of parents and sick children” and whose actions “have cost lives.”
She seemed to be referring to Kennedy’s connection to a measles outbreak in 2019 in the Pacific Island nation of Samoa, where 83 people died.
Among those vocal in their opposition to Kennedy is Democrat Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, a former emergency room physician who traveled to Samoa to help treat the deadly measles outbreak, including vaccinating tens of thousands of individuals.
“Our people deserve a Health and Human Services Secretary who champions science, supports vaccines, and is committed to lowering costs while safeguarding health care access,” the governor said in a statement. “Mr. Kennedy’s lack of experience raises serious concerns about the future of critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid.”
It’s not just Democrats who have issues with Kennedy.
Social conservative Republicans aiming to curtail abortion rights take issue with his past comments in support of abortion rights.
On the eve of the confirmation hearing, former Vice President Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom public advocacy group launched a modest ad campaign opposing Kennedy based on his abortion views.
“We need leadership that defends life and protects the most vulnerable—not radical policies that undermine our values,” the group wrote in a social media post.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Kennedy met with senators again on Tuesday, on the eve of his confirmation hearing, but didn’t take shouted questions from reporters.
But veteran Trump administration official Katie Miller told Fox News Digital that Kennedy’s “prepared and excited” for the hearings.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Acting Director Matthew Memoli sought to clarify the extent of the Trump administration’s freeze on communications and other functions within the Health and Human Services Department, which has raised concern among agency officials and lawmakers.
Memoli’s memo, sent Monday to leaders across the NIH’s more than two dozen centers and institutions, said the freeze had been issued to “allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization,” but noted that due to “confusion on the scope of the pause” he wanted to provide additional guidance.
The internal memo was first reported by STAT News .The NIH did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
TRUMP DEI CRACKDOWNS LAUDED FOR BRINGING MERIT BACK TO MEDICINE: ‘MAKE HEALTHCARE GREAT AGAIN’
Last week, the new Trump administration abruptly paused external communications at HHS through the first of next month. In addition to halting announcements, press releases, website and social media posts, new guidance, and new regulations, the freeze also halted public appearances and travel by agency officials, and prohibited new purchases or service requests related to agency work.
A scientist demonstrates pipetting viscous genomic DNA at the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center in Rockville, MD on April 13, 2023.
The move caused anger and confusion among both HHS officials and those in the broader medical community. Following the directive, scientific meetings and grant reviews were canceled, raising significant concerns about the impact on research.
“We write to express our grave concerns about actions that have taken place in recent days that potentially disrupt lifesaving research being conducted and supported by the National Institutes of Health,” a trio of Democratic lawmakers from Maryland said in a Monday letter to HHS’s Acting Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink. “Without quick corrective action, the consequences of further disruption could be disastrous.”
According to Memoli’s memo, while agency officials are not permitted to begin new research while the pause is in effect, any research or clinical trials initiated before Jan. 20 can keep going “so that this work can continue, and we do not lose our investment in these studies.” Officials working on these studies may also purchase any “necessary supplies” and conduct meetings related to such work. Although new research projects are still prohibited, NIH staff can continue submitting papers to medical journals and can communicate with those journals about submitted work.
TRUMP AND A HEALTHIER AMERICA WELCOMED BY DOCTORS: ‘NEW GOLDEN AGE’
A seal that reads “U.S. Public Health Service” adorns a building on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, March 9, 2001, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Mark Wilson/Newsmakers)
The freeze on purchases was further clarified by Memoli’s memo, which indicated that while the pause remains, purchases “directly related to human safety, human or animal healthcare, security, biosafety, biosecurity, or IT security,” can continue. Travel and hiring for such work can continue as well, Memoli indicated, but his office must grant specific exemptions for new hires as President Donald Trump also initiated a freeze on the hiring of new federal civilian employees across all agencies during his first week in office.
Routine travel planned for after Feb. 1 “does not need to be canceled at this time,” Memoli added. Patients receiving treatment at NIH facilities can also continue to do so.
AI HAS PUT MEDICINE IN ‘HYPER SPEED,’ DR. MARC SIEGEL SAYS
Meanwhile, external communications will continue to be prohibited except for “announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical.” On Monday, amid the freeze, Fink announced that HHS would begin evaluating its current practices to ensure they meet federal requirements under the Hyde Amendment, a law prohibiting the use of federal funds for non-medically necessary, elective abortions.
One subject area that was notably absent from Memoli’s memo to federal health leaders was clarifications around grant review meetings. However, the acting director’s memo concluded by indicating that further guidance is expected to be made available later this week.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, also known as the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, is located at the foot of Capitol Hill in the nation’s capital. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
While the pause at HHS has caused a firestorm of concern and criticism, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who is now the dean of the University of Nebraska’s school of public health, Dr. Ali Khan, told the Associated Press that such pauses are not unusual. Khan said concern is only warranted if the pause was aimed at “silencing the agencies around a political narrative.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I think the intention of such a chaotic freezing of communications was to scare us, to demoralize us, and to set science back a bit in an effort to make us look bad,” said a long-time NIH staffer who spoke to Forbes on the condition of anonymity. “We are by no means perfect, but, ffs, our job is literally to enable research to save lives, what the heck?”
Dr. Dorothy Fink, acting secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that the agency would begin reevaluating its current practices to ensure they are not utilizing federal dollars to promote non-medically necessary abortions.
HHS’s Office of Civil Rights has been tasked with investigating whether the agency’s programs, regulations and guidance are following federal guidelines under the Hyde Amendment, according to a Monday announcement from Fink. The review, Fink noted, will be conducted via guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget.
“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Office for Civil Rights, is tasked with enforcement of many of our nation’s laws that protect the fundamental and unalienable rights of conscience and religious exercise,” Fink said in the announcement. “It shall be a priority of the Department to strengthen enforcement of these laws.”
RFK JR. LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS HEALTH SECRETARY, DR. SIEGEL SAYS
Pro-life activists try to block the sign of a pro-choice demonstrator during the March for Life on Jan. 19, 2018, in Washington, D.C.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The announcement from Fink is in line with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 24 executive order calling on all executive agencies to enforce laws under the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for non-medically necessary, elective abortions. Trump’s Jan. 24 executive order also rescinded two executive orders implemented by President Joe Biden that sought to loosen restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.
“Congress has enacted the Hyde Amendment and a series of additional laws to protect taxpayers from being forced to pay for abortion,” stated a “fact sheet” published Saturday by the White House. “Contrary to this longstanding commonsense policy, the previous administration embedded federal funding of elective abortion in a wide variety of government programs.”
SENATOR SAYS RFK JR TOLD HIM HE AGREES WITH TRUMP ON ABORTION, WILL HAVE LIGHT TOUCH REGULATING FARMERS
Fox News Poll on SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade.(Fox News)
Notably, Fink’s announcement about the agency-wide review came amid an external communications freeze implemented by the Trump administration. While essential agency functions have been permitted to continue under the freeze, these functions are not supposed to be promoted until it is over, according to a memo reportedly sent to officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from NIH acting Director Matthew Memoli.
Fox News Digital reached out to Fink and HHS to inquire about why this announcement about reevaluating its practices to ensure they align with the Hyde Amendment was permitted amid the communications freeze, but did not hear back in time for publication.
In addition to announcing HHS’ plans to reevaluate programs under the Hyde Amendment, Fink’s announcement also praised the Trump administration’s decision to immediately rejoin the international Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family.
Pro-life activists demonstrate protests in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2021.(Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
According to a memo from the State Department, the declaration seeks to “secure meaningful health and development gains for women,” “protect life at all stages,” “defend the family as the fundamental unit of society,” and “work together across the United Nations system to realize these values.” Fink said in her Monday announcement that HHS’s Office of Global Affairs intends to support the U.S.’ efforts as part of this coalition.
