HHS Secretary Accuses Senator of Fraud During Tense Hearing

On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confronted Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, accusing her of fraud during a heated discussion.

During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Hassan claimed that Kennedy had secretly pressured scientists to restrict the availability of Covid-19 vaccines for children. Kennedy countered, placing responsibility on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while Hassan maintained that Kennedy “unilaterally changed the parameters for administering the vaccine,” suggesting that it might lead to a situation where they would have to unlabel the vaccines for children.

“This is crazy. You’re making things… it’s not behind a closed room,” Kennedy remarked. “The industry is doing research and hasn’t been able to provide evidence that it claims is effective for healthy children.”

As reported by the New York Times, children without high-risk conditions might receive the Covid-19 vaccine off-label under the FDA’s newly introduced regulation.

Hassan pressed Kennedy, asking, “When did you create the data you were dependent on, and when did this FDA depend on altering these parameters?”

“All the data is public. You’re just making things,” Kennedy replied.

Hassan suggested that Kennedy’s accusations against her could be interpreted as “a kind of confession.” She stressed that all Americans should be able to get the vaccine.

“Everyone can get the vaccine… you’re making things to scare people. That’s a lie… you’re lying right now,” Kennedy retorted.

In a further exchange, Hassan characterized Kennedy as “someone who makes things.” Recently, the FDA indicated in the New England Journal of Medicine that additional evidence is needed regarding the “repetitive booster radical strategy,” recommending that even healthy adults receive annual Covid-19 vaccinations—marking a shift from the previous universal recommendation for all adults to get these boosters like flu shots.