During a contentious appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. found himself in a heated exchange with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who accused the Trump administration official of endangering lives and promoting anti-scientific views, all while ignoring public accountability.
The confrontation unfolded as Kennedy testified in support of the administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026. Pallone didn’t hold back in his critique. “Secretary Kennedy, quite frankly, I think you’re trying to defend the indefensible. There’s no way that this budget or the actions you have taken thus far as secretary are going to make this country healthier,” he charged. The New Jersey Democrat further claimed Kennedy was advancing conspiracy theories and undermining trust in vaccines. “I just really think that people are going to die as a result of your actions and congressional Republicans’ actions,” he added.
Pallone pressed Kennedy over what he described as an alarming lack of transparency surrounding HHS vaccine policies, taking issue with the department’s decision not to solicit public feedback on recent decisions. “You say you want transparency, but there’s been no public process for any of this. Why?” he demanded.
Kennedy attempted to push back, explaining the existing structure for vaccine policy oversight. “We have a public process for regulating vaccines. It’s called the ACIP committee, and it’s a public meeting that we —”
Pallone interjected, cutting him off. “You fired the committee.”
Kennedy clarified, “I fired people who had conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry. That committee has been a template for medical malpractice for years.”
As Pallone wrapped up his remarks, he issued a scathing conclusion. “The bottom line is here we have no transparency, we have no response. You feel no responsibility to Congress whatsoever, and you just continue this ideology that’s anti-science, anti-vaccine. That’s all I see. I see nothing else. And I don’t think I’m ever going to get a response.”
Later in the hearing, Kennedy circled back to address Pallone’s remarks during questioning from Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL).
“Congressman Pallone, 15 years ago, you and I met,” Kennedy said. “You were, at that time, a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines. You were very adamant about it. You were the leading member of Congress on that issue. Since then, you’ve accepted $2 million from pharmaceutical companies and contribution — more than any other member of this committee, and your enthusiasm for supporting the old ACIP Committee, which was completely rife and pervasive with pharmaceutical conflicts, seems to be an outcome of those contributions.”
Kennedy’s pointed remarks stirred backlash from Democrats on the committee. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) objected, raising a point of order over what she described as a direct attack on a colleague’s character. “The secretary implied that Mr. Pallone would not fight for vaccine victims because he took money from the pharmaceutical industry,” she stated. “He needs to take back those words.”
At the urging of Committee Chairman Buddy Carter (R-GA), Kennedy withdrew his comment.
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{Matzav.com}
What a clown. RFK has admitted to making millions of dollars off of his anti-vax activities. Not money going to his campaign chest, money going straight into his pocket. And now that he is HHS, he is just funneling the money to his son (same as Joe sending money to Hunter) so that he can say he is not biased.
Lies. You have zero proof to back up your stupid allegations.
Hey Whatever,
What’s your angie? You blab these lies on the other site too, your fingerprints are all over the place. You’re a TDS’er to boot.
You mean the sales of his books to the public at large? If sales of a book is the criteria here, then I doubt if even one major public political figure who can escape your alleged accusation of making dollars off his/her activities. The point is that includes all major PRO-vaccine personalities. The difference here is that RFK is accusing his oppponent of receiving direct funding from institutions that themselves benefit from tax dollars through advocacy by the very same people these institutions are directly paying off. In othe words, his opponent is being paid off to lobby on behalf of instutions that siphon off tax dollars.
RFK acknowledged (under oath) to the Senate confirmation hearings that he had received over 2.5 million dollars of kickbacks from lawfirms for referring them people in anti-vax lawsuits. He promised that while in office, any future kickbacks would go to his son so that he won’t directly profit from his anti0vax activities
All doctors, pharmacist, Fizer and the other vaccine manufacturers and all who administered the Death “Vaxxine” should be arrested and shipped off to Gitmo. It has been proven that none of them took the shots themselves.
You are so gullible. But I guess you read it on the internet, so it must be true
I also took the saline solution.