Senate Democrats demand health secretary RFK Jr resign ahead of key hearing

Senate Democrats on the finance committee are calling for health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to resign as he is set to testify before the committee.

“Robert Kennedy’s tenure as America’s chief health officer has been marked by higher costs, more chaos and boundless corruption,” ranking member Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator from Oregon, said in a statement. “His actions are endangering children, leaving parents confused and scared…Democrats knew from the start that Robert Kennedy would be a disastrous health secretary - it’s time for Republicans to step up and hold him accountable for his actions.”

Kennedy will testify before the committee Thursday in a hearing ostensibly about the Trump administration’s healthcare agenda. He will face questions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the turmoil that has plagued the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in recent months.

Last week, Kennedy fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, less than a month after she was confirmed to her position. She is now mounting a legal case challenging her removal.

Shortly after Monarez’s termination, several leading public health officials at the CDC resigned from their positions, citing frustration with Kennedy’s approach to vaccines and his management style.

Also last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the new batch of Covid-19 vaccines, but placed restrictions on who would be able to access them. The agency has authorized shots for people 65 and older, who are known to be more at risk from serious illnesses from Covid infections. Younger people will only be eligible if they have an underlying medical condition that makes them vulnerable. Infectious disease experts say that this policy could prove extremely dangerous, particularly for young children.

On Tuesday, Kennedy defended HHS’ handling of the measles outbreak that affected several states. While the secretary said that his agency’s response was effective, public health experts said his messaging around vaccines was muddied and confusing.