Day: September 4, 2025

This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox.

As a practical matter, it’s not normal for Senators to tussle with the nation’s top health official. But amid a spiraling, three-hour hearing on Thursday, Senators from both parties couldn’t hide their aggravation with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose tumultuous defense of his alienation of top health officials, abrupt changes in vaccine policies, and even his own continued employment was both a low point for public health and a reminder that, as much as lawmakers object to his bedside manner, they are the ones who installed him and preserve his gig.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

RFK Jr. found his place in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet in no small measure thanks to his reputation as a skeptic of vaccines. The chamber’s Republicans—save for Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, himself a polio survivor—confirmed him to his powerful perch anyway. During Thursday’s contentious hearing, the Secretary raised his voice in clear frustration and indignation as lawmakers pressed him on why he removed the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and expressed concern that access to Covid-19 vaccines were being limited. And a host of Democrats called on him to resign.

But here’s the rub: despite a bipartisan frustration with Kennedy’s tenure, nothing is going to dislodge him. The government faces an end-of-month funding deadline but there are no serious plans by Democrats or Republicans in Congress to tie RFK Jr. or the nation’s vaccines policies to keeping the dollars flowing. Scores of CDC experts have been outcast but they remained dismissed. And Americans who want a Covid booster are left in a lurch because Kennedy’s antipathy  now limits what is covered by insurance plans.

Yet, despite a salty hearing and their obvious frustration with many of RFK Jr.’s decisions, Republican lawmakers who know better will continue to defend him because Trump has the run of Washington. Contradicting Trump is a recipe for political demise and no GOP lawmaker—even the doctor who runs the health committee—is going to risk exile.

“I would say, effectively, we’re denying people vaccines,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who is also a physician. Still, in the hours after the heated hearing, Cassidy doubled-down on his campaign to give the President a Nobel Prize for his work on vaccines.

Another Senate doc, John Barrasso, underscored the substance of the risk from inside the government. “I’m a doctor. Vaccines work. Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines. Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned,” the Wyoming Republican said.

But when asked later about RFK Jr.’s future, Barrasso deferred to the White House. “I have confidence in what the President of the United States is doing, and I will not second guess,” Barrasso said.

And Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who was originally on the fence about the confirmation vote earlier this year, seemed uneasy with the situation. 

“I’m concerned that we’re diminishing the credibility of the CDC,” said Tillis, who is not running for re-election. “We could be diminishing the credibility of the U.S. government in terms of keeping kids safe.”

Still, nothing is moving, at least for now. Senate Majority Leader John Thune sidestepped questions Thursday on if he maintained confidence in RFK Jr. So, too, did Sen. Susan Collins of Maine; she is seen as one of the most imperiled Republicans on the ballot next year.

Kennedy provided a scattershot series of thoughts on Thursday on everything from Covid-19 vaccines, anti-depressants, and hepatitis B. As Senators tried to keep the discussion focused on accepted science, Kennedy refused to be confined. Withdrawn studies were at the fore and autism seemed everywhere. The heated, loud, and absurdist spectacle offered little new information—and a fair share of misinformation. The circular logic was as aplenty as it was problematic coming from the person who helms the largest health operation in the world. At one point, RFK Jr. simultaneously critiqued mRNA technology—the cornerstone of Covid vaccines—as the “deadliest” vehicle ever, while insisting its rollout merits Trump a Nobel. 

Sen. Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, pointed out the contradictions. “When were you lying, sir?” she asked. “When you told this committee that you were not anti-vax, or when you told Americans that there’s no safe and effective vaccine?”

Kennedy seemed nonplused. “Both things are true,” he said.

Pressed by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, Kennedy showed open contempt: “You’re talking gibberish.”

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, returned the fury: “You are sitting as Secretary of Health and Human Services. How can you be that ignorant?”

Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, was similarly indignant: “Sometimes when you make an accusation, it’s kind of a confession, Mr. Kennedy.”

Despite all of this, though, the show was just that: a show. Kennedy dismissed criticism that he has fired thousands of career employees at the CDC. He brushed off questions about why he fired all the members of a vaccine panel, repeating the disproven line that they had financial conflicts of interest. Kennedy seemed completely at ease in a fact-optional environment. The bluster and bravado seemed completely out of step with how Red State lawmakers are heading into a flu season when risk of Covid steps up.

The sense among Republicans on the Hill was that the hearing went about as poorly as possible. But, as evidenced by the grumbling as Senators shuffled around the room, the immutable fact is that Kennedy still has Trump’s confidence. This is the kind of performance Trump likes. Their shared disbelief in science and disrespect for expertise unites them. It’s only an added bonus that Kennedy showed contempt to lawmakers.

As if a perfect coda to a day of acrimony, Kennedy pulled out his phone and scrolled as Senators were winding down the day. Asked if he’d like to make any closing statement, Kennedy curtly declined. “I think I’ll have mercy on everybody,” Kennedy said, “and let us adjourn.”

Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter.