HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Defends Budget and Reforms at House Hearing

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced sustained questioning Tuesday as he defended the Department of Health and Human Services’ fiscal 2027 priorities before the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Kennedy, the department's secretary, opened by framing his agenda as a fight against chronic disease and opaque markets, saying HHS had “negotiated the most favored nation drug prices with 16 of the largest pharmaceutical companies,” and was “bringing real transparency to health care pricing.” He also highlighted new dietary guidance and a proposed Rural Health Transformation Fund he described as the “largest investment in rural health in our nation's history.”

Ranking Member Mr. Scott told the committee the White House budget would reduce HHS discretionary authority by about $15.8 billion, or roughly 12.5%, and warned those cuts “will have devastating consequences for Americans' health and well‑being.” Scott and other Democrats contended cuts to public‑health agencies, Head Start and child‑care programs would reduce access and could increase the number of uninsured people.

Lawmakers on both sides asked Kennedy about a string of administration actions: freezes on congressionally appropriated funds to some states, the fate of the Administration for Community Living, and whether the department planned to shift education‑related programs into HHS. Kennedy said HHS is prioritizing program integrity, citing instances of fraud in state child‑care grants and stating the department had impounded payments to Minnesota pending documentation of receipts.

Republican members pressed Kennedy on initiatives to eliminate prior authorization and to rein in pharmacy benefit managers, which Kennedy described as “perverse” and a driver of high drug prices. He defended the department’s drug negotiations and said some proprietary terms of those agreements could not be made public because of business confidentiality protections.

The hearing also included wide‑ranging exchanges on vaccines, measles case trends, nutrition policy and protections for children. Kennedy disputed the notion that the measles outbreak was caused by his tenure, saying it began before he took office and stressing global declines in vaccination rates,"The measles outbreak began in January 2025 before I took office,” he told members.

The committee left without a vote; members from both parties signaled ongoing oversight and follow‑up on the department’s budgetary and program decisions.