In marathon testimony to Congress, which wrapped up Wednesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. insisted he supports President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but stopped short of promising that she’d be able to make vaccine policy decisions independently if she’s confirmed.
He refused Tuesday to commit to following vaccine recommendations by Erica Schwartz, the White House’s surprisingly mainstream pick to lead the nation’s public health agency. But when Sen. Bill Cassidy asked on Wednesday whether Schwartz would have the right to make decisions independently of other CDC political appointees, or even to fire them, Kennedy said yes.
If the Senate confirms Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, she would take the reins of the CDC at a time of unprecedented upheaval for the beleaguered agency, which has faced widespread layoffs, leadership instability, a standoff with the medical establishment and a shooting last year at its Atlanta headquarters.
Schwartz is viewed as an unusually orthodox pick, given Kennedy’s approach to the department and the vaccine-skeptical officials he has brought into the Department of Health and Human Services. The previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, was fired after she clashed with Kennedy over his plans to circumvent the CDC committee that issues vaccine recommendations.
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Cassidy and Sen. John Barrasso, the two Republicans who have been willing to question Kennedy on his vaccine moves, posed a few difficult questions to Kennedy this week.
What would HHS do, Cassidy asked Kennedy, if international attendees at this summer’s FIFA World Cup brought measles to the U.S.?
“We’ve done better at controlling the measles outbreak than any country in the world,” Kennedy responded to the Louisiana Republican. More than 4,000 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. since the beginning of 2025, exceeding the combined total of cases in the past 18 years, according to the CDC.
Cassidy’s other questions focused on what he said was a lack of action on HHS’s part to curtail the use of medication abortions. He held back on directly criticizing Kennedy’s vaccine policy changes, saying only that the “trust gap has worsened over the last year due to false statements about safety and efficacy of vaccines or preventable diseases like measles.”
In a hearing earlier in the day, Barrasso told Kennedy that the department’s changes to vaccine recommendations caused more confusion for families and doctors.
“Are you taking steps now to ensure vaccine guidance is clear, evidence-based and trustworthy, and what are those steps?” the Wyoming Republican asked Kennedy.
Barrasso also asked about changes to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a 16-member expert panel whose recommendations on procedures like screenings for cancer or depression dictate what most private insurance plans must cover without charging patients a copay.
The task force has been effectively paralyzed over the past year. A planned July 2025 meeting was abruptly canceled, as were meetings in November and March, raising concerns among public health experts that Kennedy may be considering an overhaul. Kennedy fired and replaced a panel of vaccine experts last year.
Kennedy said last week he would be reforming the task force, calling it “lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years.”
“How are you demonstrating that you have a serious and consistent plan to reform the task force on prevention?” Barrasso asked.
Kennedy said he’s working to fill vacant positions on the panel, and added he wants it to represent more specialties and to meet more frequently and transparently. HHS published a notice Wednesday soliciting applications for new members.
Democrats hammered Kennedy over the flu vaccine, questioning his commitment to promoting it and noting last year’s flu season was particularly dire for children.
“Do you agree that 89 percent of the children who died from the flu were unvaccinated?” asked Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat.
“I don’t know the exact number,” Kennedy responded. While he said the Food and Drug Administration has approved several influenza vaccines for the next flu season, he also disparaged this season’s formulation, which still reduced the risk of hospitalization and infections but was considered less effective than in previous years.
“I think last year the flu vaccine had something like a 20 percent efficacy,” Kennedy said. The CDC has estimated the flu vaccine was 22 to 34 percent effective in reducing doctor visits and 30 percent effective against being hospitalized.
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