Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced sharp bipartisan criticism Thursday during his first Congressional appearance of the year, deflecting questions about vaccine policy and defending a taxpayer-funded promotional video featuring him shirtless in a hot tub with rock musician Kid Rock.
Kennedy testified before the House Ways and Means Committee as part of a series of at least seven hearings on the Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which calls for cutting HHS spending by $15.8 billion — a 12.5% reduction — to $111.1 billion.
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) confronted Kennedy over the CDC’s decision to end a public health campaign promoting flu vaccination, contrasting that move with the HHS-produced video showing Kennedy and Kid Rock. Sanchez cited measles data showing 285 cases in 2024 under the Biden administration, rising to more than 2,000 in 2025 and surpassing 1,600 confirmed cases in the first three and a half months of 2026 alone.
“You suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you’re spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk, shirtless, in a hot tub with Kid Rock,” Sanchez said, raising a poster-sized photograph of the two men before the committee.
Kennedy attempted to respond with “We have done better,” before Sanchez cut him off. He called her remarks “misinformation” and evaded her repeated attempts to get him on record about whether Trump had signed off on the CDC’s move to pull the vaccine campaign.
“I think you don’t want to answer my question,” Sanchez said. “Because I think you know you are making terrible decisions that impact very real lives, especially the lives of children.”
Kennedy also drew rare criticism from within his own party. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), whose 10-year-old son is on the autism spectrum, said he was “underwhelmed” by the administration’s September claim that autism was caused by women taking Tylenol during pregnancy.
“My wife was hurt,” Moore said, noting the announcement unfairly assigned blame to mothers.
Kennedy acknowledged the measles vaccine “certainly” could have saved the life of a child who died during a Texas outbreak last year, but offered no explanation for the surge in cases. He also admitted he was unhappy with proposed cuts to nutrition programs like WIC, saying, “Am I happy about the cuts? No, I’m not happy about the cuts.”
Information for this story was found via the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
