RFK Jr. defends vaccine views, autism comments during House committee hearing
abcnews.com • • nation
Key Points:
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a tough House hearing over his vaccine skepticism, with lawmakers linking his rhetoric to rising measles cases and vaccine exemptions among children.
- Kennedy denied being anti-vaccine, emphasizing the need for vaccines to be adequately safety tested, but his past comments about autism and vaccine safety drew criticism from Democrats.
- The hearing also addressed Kennedy's stance on gender-affirming care for minors, with Kennedy stating that federal funding has been cut for puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries, citing alleged medical dangers.
- Questions about President Trump's mental fitness arose, but Kennedy refused to call for a mental health assessment or invoke the 25th Amendment despite concerns raised by lawmakers.
- Kennedy discussed the potential transfer of special education programs from the Department of Education to HHS, arguing that some programs are more health-related and could benefit from being under HHS oversight.
