RFK Jr. finally admitted that firing thousands of workers and cutting billions from the National Institutes of Health could impact the well-being of Americans.
The Department of Health and Human Services secretary testified in two separate meetings before Congress Wednesday and was grilled relentlessly by Democrats on his disastrous restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services.
When asked about cuts to the NIH, which includes the nation’s largest hospital dedicated solely to clinical research, RFK Jr.’s front faltered.
“I think the cuts that are now proposed by NIH are gonna hurt,” he responded. It was a feeble (and obvious) admission given that minutes earlier he said he actually has no idea how many people were fired.
“I think the cuts that are now proposed by NIH are gonna hurt” — RFK Jr admits that NIH cuts will hurt people pic.twitter.com/nyiTBt7IBW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 14, 2025
“Secretary Kennedy, how many staff have been cut from the NIH’s clinical center? I want a specific number.” Democratic Senator Patty Murray asked.
“I can’t tell you that now, Senator Murray,” he responded.
In March, RFK Jr. announced the firing of 1,200 NIH workers—6 percent of the institute’s workforce—as part of a larger effort to cut 10,000 jobs from HHS. In the first three months of 2025, the Trump administration also cut $2.7 billion in NIH funding for research, according to a new report from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Despite this, RFK Jr. refused to take blame for the state of public health in America, even as clinical research faces existential threats and the country experiences one of its deadliest measles outbreaks in history.
“You’re making medical decisions every day. You’re the secretary of HHS. You have tremendous power over health policy. Really horrified that you will not encourage families to vaccinate their children,” Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro said to RFK Jr. earlier Wednesday, referring to his relentless spread of vaccine misinformation.
Kennedy gave a stunning response to another Democrat who questioned his unbacked vaccination claims.
“I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” the man in charge of America’s entire public health system said.
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