RFK Jr. Senate appearance to discuss HHS layoffs likely delayed

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will likely delay his appearance before the Senate’s health committee by several weeks, even as he makes historic changes to the Department of Health and Human Services and contends with a surging measles outbreak.

Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) publicly asked the secretary to appear on April 10. They made the request on April 1, the same day that Kennedy executed major cuts to the federal health workforce.

Kennedy’s team confirmed receipt of the request but did not confirm attendance, according to committee staff. Typically, hearings have to be scheduled at least seven days in advance, though that requirement can be waived in certain cases. After this week, the Senate is taking a two-week break and is due to return April 28. 

Asked if Kennedy had a date set to appear before the committee, an HHS spokesperson declined to comment. A Cassidy spokesperson said Monday there was no update on the timing of the hearing but previously said it’s “not uncommon for the proposed date to be negotiated to accommodate schedules.”

Cassidy quickly requested that Kennedy appear before the committee after reports of firings across HHS, saying in a statement it would “be a good opportunity for [Kennedy] to set the record straight and speak to the goals, structure and benefits of the proposed reorganization.”

“Senator Cassidy is holding the Secretary’s feet to the fire, giving short notice which leaves Kennedy limited time to prepare a statement, testimony, and response to what will surely be a scathing inquiry into attempts to downsize HHS which are neither judicious reform nor compliant with proper procedure,” William F. Pewen, a clinical infectious disease scientist who used to work for former Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), said in a statement.

The quick-turn request for Kennedy’s appearance before the committee may be seen as “buyer’s remorse” for Cassidy, who ultimately supported Kennedy to lead HHS, Pewen said. 

The invitation also comes as Kennedy has faced a measles outbreak that’s spreading through multiple states and has been linked to three deaths. Cassidy urged public health officials to endorse the measles vaccine after a second child died in the outbreak. The chair later shared Kennedy’s message that the vaccine was the best tool to control the disease.

Cassidy, who was a practicing physician for decades before coming to Congress, backed Kennedy’s confirmation after significant public concern about the nominee’s readiness for the role, especially after a long history of anti-vaccine advocacy. 

Cassidy has been assured by Kennedy and the Trump administration during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing that he would have an “unprecedentedly close” collaboration with the income secretary. Those assurances included coming before the committee quarterly, if requested.

Kennedy also committed to retaining current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, not changing the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and not changing policies enacted by Congress without approval from the Hill, according to Cassidy. 

After Cassidy helped push his confirmation over the finish line, Kennedy oversaw changes to the federal government’s vaccine programs, including delayed meetings and pushing out top regulators. Cassidy’s spokesperson did not respond on the record to questions about whether the chair had been given notice about the firing of regulators.