Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparred this week with a Democratic member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health who evidently could dish it out but couldn’t take it.
Kennedy was ultimately asked to take back a conclusion he reached on the basis of facts about New Jersey Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone’s receipt of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.
Pallone used his time Tuesday during the hearing concerning the Department of Health and Human Services’ 2026 budget to attack Kennedy, suggesting he is a purveyor of a pseudo-scientific agenda that threatens the lives of the American people.
“Mr. Secretary, the science is not on your side. I just really think that people are going to die as a result of your actions and congressional Republicans’ actions,” said Pallone.
One of Pallone’s biggest themes was that Kennedy’s work lacked transparency. However, when the health secretary attempted to provide answers, Pallone shut down the dialogue.
“You have made a number of major decisions about vaccines. And … there’s been no public comment process or public accountability on that either. What are you afraid of?” asked Pallone. “I mean, with regard to vaccines, are you just afraid of receiving public comments on proposals where you just think these are fringe views that are contrary to the views of most scientists and that the public comments will reflect this?”
Kennedy responded, “We have a public process for regulating vaccines. It’s called the ACIP committee, and it’s a public meeting.”
At the mention of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Pallone noted that Kennedy had fired the Biden appointees on the panel.
Kennedy canned all 17 Biden administration appointees on the ACIP earlier this month, stressing in a corresponding op-ed that “the committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.”
Data provided on OpenPaymentData.CMS.gov, a site managed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, indicates Kennedy’s concerns were not misplaced, revealing just how cozy some of the former members were with the organizations whose products they were tasked with scrutinizing.
For example, former ACIP member Edwin Jose Asturias apparently collected around $54,000 from pharmaceutical companies, including $20,705 in what appear to be consulting fees.
Among the companies that paid Asturias what appear to have been consulting fees were Pfizer and Merck Sharpe & Dohme LLC, a bio-pharmaceutical subsidiary of the company whose pneumococcal vaccine Capvaxive the committee voted to recommend in October.
‘You were the leading member of Congress on that issue.’
Blaze News previously reported that Asturias also appears to have received millions of dollars in research support from Big Pharma, including over $3.1 million from Pfizer and over $730,000 from the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline LLC.
“I fired people who had conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry,” Kennedy told Pallone.
Despite his supposed desire for answers, Pallone interrupted Kennedy in order to resume attacking him.
When subsequently questioned by Republican Rep. Neal Dunn (Fla.) about how he intended to restore public trust in the health establishment, Kennedy volunteered a quick answer, then tore into Pallone.
“Congressman Pallone, 15 years ago, you and I met. You were, at that time, a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines. You were very adamant about it. You were the leading member of Congress on that issue,” said Kennedy. “Since then, you’ve accepted $2 million from pharmaceutical companies in contributions — more than any other member of this committee.”
According to OpenSecrets, Pallone has received over $2.2 million from the pharmaceuticals/health products industry and over $5 million from health professionals since 1989.
Just last year, Pallone received over $15,000 in campaign contributions from PACs and individuals linked to Johnson & Johnson and $21,200 from individuals at Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
“Your enthusiasm for supporting the old ACIP committee, which was completely rife and pervasive with pharmaceutical conflicts, seems to be an outcome of those contributions,” added Kennedy.
Colorado Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette rushed to Pallone’s defense, claiming that Kennedy was “impugning Mr. Pallone” and had implied that “Mr. Pallone would not fight for vaccine victims because he took money from the pharmaceutical industry.”
Pallone similarly suggested that Kennedy’s words should be “taken down.”
After Subcommittee Chair Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) suggested DeGette’s point of order was valid, Kennedy said with a smirk that his remarks “are retracted.”
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