RFK Jr. set to face Bill Cassidy in back-to-back Senate hearings

Key Points:

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy, marking their first meeting since Kennedy's confirmation nearly a year ago amid concerns over unkept promises on vaccine policies.
• Cassidy, who voted to confirm Kennedy after securing commitments to preserve federal vaccine recommendations and regular committee appearances, has criticized Kennedy’s vaccine stance on social media and has yet to advance the nomination of Kennedy ally Dr. Casey Means.
• Kennedy’s overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing recommended vaccines from 18 to 11, has drawn sharp criticism, including from Cassidy and public health experts, and was blocked by a federal judge pending appeal.
• Kennedy faces scrutiny amid a measles outbreak and criticism from Democrats and health experts for allegedly undermining vaccine efforts, while Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services deny accusations of misleading Congress.
• Sen. Thom Tillis, a retiring Republican who voted to confirm Trump’s cabinet members, may also challenge Kennedy during the hearing, signaling potential bipartisan accountability on vaccine policies.