RFK Jr. is on a congressional hearing blitz, after a long absence from Capitol Hill - BERITAJA

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears earlier the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee connected Tuesday. He has 2 much legislature hearings connected Wednesday. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

When Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made dramatic, abrupt changes to the puerility vaccine schedule without input from extracurricular advisers, he did not look earlier lawmakers to reply questions.

When the U.S. capped disconnected 2025 pinch more bales cases than the state has had successful 3 decades, he did not travel to Capitol Hill to reply lawmakers' questions.

He besides didn't travel to explicate the unprecedented decision to withhold $250 cardinal successful Medicaid costs from Minnesota, a bluish authorities that has been a predominant target of the Trump administration.

While the statement successful powerfulness is not required to telephone hearings, Kennedy has made consequential, norm-shattering changes to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that beckon legislature oversight.

Finally, successful the past week, lawmakers person had galore hours to mobility Kennedy done 7 hearings successful various legislature committees and subcommittees. The taxable for each is ostensibly the department's fund petition for 2027, but successful the 5 hearings truthful far, questions person ranged from agrarian wellness to the new nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to infirmary drug-pricing policy.

On Wednesday, Kennedy finishes up his blitz of hearings astatine 2 consequential Senate committees: Finance and HELP, which stands for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Cassidy and Kennedy person history

A cardinal personnel of some of those committees is Sen. Bill Cassidy, R.-La. In February of past year, Cassidy formed the tie-breaking committee ballot to urge Kennedy for the position of wellness secretary. Cassidy is simply a expert who supports vaccines, and Kennedy has a agelong history of anti-vaccine activism.

Just earlier the vote, Cassidy explained his decision connected the Senate floor, saying: "Mr. Kennedy and the [Trump] management committed that he and I would person an unprecedentedly close, collaborative moving relationship." He said he had secured a committedness that the 2 of them would speak aggregate times per month, that they'd collaborate connected hiring decisions astatine HHS and that Kennedy would activity wrong the existing vaccine argumentation systems. "Aside from he and I gathering regularly, he'll travel earlier the HELP Committee connected a quarterly ground if requested."

Very small of that has travel to pass. Kennedy has not travel successful regularly to attest earlier the HELP Committee, despite demands from Democratic lawmakers. He has besides made melodramatic changes to national vaccine policies that Cassidy has condemned.

The 2 men's conflicts person spilled into the public. Kennedy's friends astatine the Make America Healthy Again PAC person endorsed a challenger to Cassidy successful his Republican superior successful Louisiana. On a CDC webpage pinch a subheading that sounds "Vaccines do not origin Autism," a footnote explains that the building "has not been removed owed to an statement pinch [Cassidy] that it would stay connected the CDC website." The contented connected the page reflects Kennedy's decades-long insistence that location is simply a imaginable nexus betwixt vaccines and autism, a declare that has been debunked by extended investigation and starring wellness organizations.

Kennedy connected Tuesday connected Capitol Hill. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

In the hearings truthful far, Republicans person been mostly friends to Kennedy, while Democrats person hammered him connected vaccine skepticism, maternal wellness and Affordable Care Act premium costs.

Trump's opinion?

Looming complete Kennedy's appearances is his opinionated pinch President Trump. Kennedy and his priorities were not mentioned successful the State of the Union reside this year, successful opposition to galore mentions successful Trump's erstwhile year's reside to Congress. And Trump has fired 3 members of his Cabinet successful the past 7 weeks: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Asked Tuesday successful the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee whether the Trump management had told him to opportunity little publically about vaccines, Kennedy said no. He besides said he was unaware of polling by a Republican firm suggesting his position connected vaccines is unpopular and politically hazardous for the statement heading into the midterm elections.