(NewsNation) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
The meeting focused on President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the Department of Health and Human Services. Lawmakers also grilled Kennedy about vaccine skepticism and staffing cuts to the department.
Since his confirmation, Kennedy has fired thousands of workers, consolidated the nation’s health infrastructure, canceled scientific funding grants and sent mixed messages on the measles outbreak.
Kennedy testified before both chambers of Congress last week and faced questions from lawmakers over his first months leading the agency.
Both hearings targeted the Trump administration’s proposed budget, which includes cuts to maternal health, infectious disease prevention and preschool programs — as well as a $500 million boost to Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
Kennedy said he intends to make “the Trump HHS not just the most effective, but also the most compassionate in U.S. history.”
He also said the budget would consolidate programs on addiction and mental health, promote healthy nutrition and activity habits, and equip the Food and Drug Administration to expand its food safety efforts.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz and Libbey Dean contributed to this report.