HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced questions from lawmakers on vaccines, the next CDC director and the overhaul of a key task force during separate Senate hearings on April 22.
Here are four takeaways from Mr. Kennedy’s hearings with the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. They marked the conclusion of his congressional hearings over the past two weeks that have focused on HHS’ proposed fiscal 2027 budget.
1. Next CDC director. During the HELP Committee hearing, Mr. Kennedy said the next CDC director will be able to make key decisions independently. The comment came in response to concerns about “political appointees at [the] CDC who have worked to undermine trust in immunizations” raised by Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La. Mr. Kennedy said the “characterization of the political appointees is wrong.”
President Donald Trump on April 16 nominated Erica Schwartz, MD, to lead the CDC. Dr. Schwartz, a retired Coast Guard rear admiral, has led programs in vaccination and emergency response, including developing force health protection policies such as pandemic influenza, anthrax and smallpox vaccination protocols.
When asked whether he would commit to implementing Dr. Schwartz’s vaccine guidance without interference, Mr. Kennedy said, “I’m not going to make that kind of commitment.”
2. Task force overhaul. During the Finance Committee hearing, Mr. Kennedy reiterated plans to reform the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The plans, first announced during an April 16 hearing, include expanding the force beyond primary care physicians to specialists, Mr. Kennedy said, according to an April 22 CNN report. A notice scheduled to publish April 23 in the Federal Register says HHS is seeking nominations for new members, including anesthesiologists, cardiologists and radiologists, CNN reported.
The task force determines which medical services are considered preventive and must be covered at no cost by insurers.
3. Support of MMR vaccines. When asked during the Finance Committee hearing to clarify his stance on vaccines — specifically the MMR vaccine — Mr. Kennedy said, “We promote the MMR. We advise every child to get the MMR,” CNN reported.
He also said the U.S. has handled the measles outbreak better than other countries, a point he made during his April 16 hearing.
As of April 16, the U.S. has had 1,748 reported measles cases in 2026, according to CDC data. There were 2,287 total cases reported in the U.S. in 2025, marking the highest two-year total in more than 30 years. A federal judge on March 16 blocked Mr. Kennedy’s efforts to restructure U.S. childhood immunization policy and overhaul the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.
4. Questions on AI-driven pilot program. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., raised concerns about a new artificial intelligence tool that she said is delaying or overturning physician recommendations for Medicare patients.
HHS launched the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction Model on Jan. 1 in Arizona, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas and Washington. The model requires prior authorization for 13 types of procedures or treatments for Medicare patients, according to an April 22 news release from Ms. Cantwell’s office.
Washington State Hospital Association data has shown patients affected by the model are waiting two to four times longer to receive physician-recommended care, the release said.
“What’s happening is AI is being used as a denial device for the CMS system,” Ms. Cantwell said during the hearing. “And it’s apparently had some problems where it’s not taking a few days to find out whether you’re going to get covered or not; it’s basically taking weeks to find out that you’re denied on things that never were a prior denial before.”
Mr. Kennedy called the delays “unacceptable” and said HHS will work with her to address the issue.
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