(NewsNation) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is testifying before a House subcommittee Tuesday regarding the Trump administration’s proposed budget.
“The budget invests in methods to address chronic disease, protect American families from environmental toxins, promote nutrition as well as food and drug safety, strengthen services for American Indians and Alaska Natives, encourage innovation in America’s health care future, and focus resources toward proven and effective initiatives,” Kennedy said in his opening statement.
Kennedy focused his statement on fighting chronic disease and also spoke out against studies on “radical gender identity and sexual orientation.”
When questioned, Kennedy brought up a lack of studies on controversial foods like seed oils, which have been deemed “toxic” by wellness influencers, though research shows they are safe.
Kennedy had a heated exchange with Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., over his agency’s “Make America Healthy Again” report, which cited studies that do not exist and misinterpreted others. Kennedy pushed back against those claims, despite researchers coming forward to say they were cited for research they hadn’t done or that their work was misinterpreted.
RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement
Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement has proved divisive. Supporters have praised his efforts to remove artificial dyes from food and his efforts to reinvestigate vaccines. But critics have raised the alarm about Kennedy’s rejection of decades of data on vaccine safety and other dubious medical advice he has given.
The proposed budget includes significant cuts to the National Institute of Health, including research, something experts have said would set back medical progress and harm public health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also facing cuts, including the elimination of programs designed to fight HIV and tuberculosis and programs designed to promote vaccines in developing nations.
The Trump administration has also cut funds for public health departments around the country as the United States faces a growing measles epidemic driven in part by anti-vaccination sentiment.