RFK Jr. Grilled Over CDC Shake-Up, Vaccine Confusion, Abortion Pill Access

Roll Call: Kennedy Defends CDC Shake-Up, Accusing Medical Experts Of Lies 
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was unrepentant Thursday about his shakeup of the nation’s public health agency and overhaul of federal vaccine policy, accusing a departed director and top medical organizations of lying. (Hellmann and Cohen, 9/4)

Politico: RFK Jr. Says CDC Director’s Firing Is Just A Start 
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has no plans to try to lower the temperature around the upheaval he’s caused at his department. “We are the sickest country in the world. That’s why we have to fire people at the CDC. They did not do their job,” Kennedy said. “I need to fire some of those people to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” (Levien, 9/4)

The Guardian: RFK Jr Hints Access To Key Abortion Drug Could Be Cut Back 
The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has suggested that Biden-era regulations expanding access to abortion pills could be rolled back because the Biden administration had “twisted the data” behind the pills. Kennedy made the remark more than an hour into a tense interrogation by members of the US Senate judiciary committee over his chaotic tenure at the health department, which has been marked by thousands of layoffs and the promotion of leaders with little background in public health and medicine. (Sherman, 9/4)

The Hill: Senate Democrats Press RFK Jr. To Step Down As HHS Secretary
Almost every Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee called on Robert F. Kennedy Jr to step down as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services following a major shakeup at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eleven of the 12 Democratic Senators on the committee issued a statement Thursday demanding his resignation shortly before Kennedy was scheduled to testify before the committee about recent federal vaccine policy changes as well as the firing and resignations of several top CDC officials. (O’Connell-Domenech, 9/4)

NBC News: GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy Pits RFK Jr. Against Trump On Vaccines
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., grilled Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy on his skepticism of vaccines Thursday, arguing that his actions fly in the face of one of President Donald Trump's biggest achievements. (Kapur, Leach and Khoriaty, 9/4)

Politico: Trump Backs RFK Jr. Following Tense Senate Hearing
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he did not watch Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at-times tense testimony in Congress, but is confident he “means very well.” The secretary faced withering criticism from Democrats and mild rebuke from a handful of Republicans who worried that his stance on vaccines threatens Americans’ safety. (Johansen, 9/4)

More from the hearing —

MedPage Today: RFK Jr. Botches Basic Facts At Senate Hearing
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly cited inaccurate numbers and gave evasive responses to simple queries from lawmakers during a Senate hearing on Thursday, with one frustrated senator casting the cabinet head as "ignorant." Responding to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who raised concerns about the overprescription of stimulants and their side effects in kids, Kennedy stated that one in every five children in the U.S. takes these medications. (Firth, 9/4)

AP: A Look At False Claims Made By RFK Jr. During A Senate Hearing On MAHA
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made myriad false and misleading claims on Thursday as he fielded questions examining his seven-month tenure leading the nation’s health agencies at a contentious three-hour hearing. Kennedy ignored government data, twisted legislation and pointed to unsubstantiated treatments while addressing topics such as COVID-19 vaccines, rural hospitals and school shootings. (Goldin, 9/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Rural Hospitals Painted As Bright Spot In Tense RFK Jr. Senate Hearing: 3 Takeaways
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4 to explain his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda and defend sweeping changes to the CDC, vaccine policy and other federal health programs. Here are three of the central takeaways from the nearly three-hour hearing. 1. Mr. Kennedy’s testimony drew bipartisan criticism for his position on vaccines. Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La., had secured a commitment from Kennedy during his February confirmation that he would not limit Americans’ access to vaccines — a commitment the senator says Mr. Kennedy has broken. (Gamble and Condon, 9/4)

KFF Health News: RFK Jr. Faces Senate Finance Committee: A Live Discussion
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s testimony before the Senate Finance Committee follows the ouster last week of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez. At least four other senior CDC officials resigned in protest. (9/4)

On autism and MAHA —

The Hill: CNN Host, Senator Debate Vaccine-Autism Claims
CNN host Kasie Hunt and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) got into a heated debate over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stances on vaccines, autism and several other issues that the Health and Human Services secretary defended during a congressional hearing Thursday. (Mastrangelo, 9/4)

CNN: Kennedy Said There Will Be Autism Answers This Month. With Public Health Agencies In Upheaval, Autism Advocates Are Alarmed 
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged in April that there would be answers on the causes of autism this month. Since then, he has ousted public health officials, publicly rebuked studies showing no link between vaccines and autism, and said “interventions” are “almost certainly” responsible for causing rising autism rates. (Owermohle, 9/4)

Vox: Scoop: RFK Jr. And Trump Silenced A Groundbreaking Report On Cancer And Alcohol
Scientists provided the Trump administration with evidence of alcohol’s harms. Here’s why you still haven’t seen this new study. (Scott, 9/4)