Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s

The most recent appearance on Capitol Hill followed the typical pattern.

drama

– from a renowned protester being

thrown out

From a committee room to a senior legislator discreetly wiping away tears out of view from the camera’s gaze.

The recently appointed secretary of Health and Human Services appeared before two congressional panels on May 14 to defend the department’s strategy.

cut staff by 20,000 and reduced health care programs

He gave testimony before the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro, who leads the House Appropriations Committee, questioned Kennedy about the significant reductions in funding for research initiatives at organizations such as the National Institutes of Health. However, once everyone else had left the room, she disclosed parts of her personal story to several journalists present.



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“I’m an ovarian cancer survivor. It’s now 38 years,” a visibly emotional DeLauro said.  “I’m here because of the grace of God and biomedical research.”

Investing in research might not show immediate effects, but within 5 to 10 years, the nation will notice the change—and this is her concern, as she mentioned.

During the hearing, lawmakers called out Kennedy on his reluctance to unequivocally advise parents to vaccinate their children as the nation faces a measles outbreak. As someone with a long history of controversial views on vaccines, Kennedy stepped out of his comfort zone in April to say that the MMR vaccine was the “

the best method to stop

the spread of measles.”

But he stopped short of recommending it to parents.



MAHA:


RFK Jr.’s MAHA movement is coming to a state near you

The meetings held every Wednesday provided legislators an opportunity to ask Senator Kennedy questions directly, including Wisconsin Democratic Representative.

Mark Pocan asking Kennedy

: “If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?”

“Probably for measles,” Kennedy said, before qualifying his answer. “What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”

Pressed further, Kennedy said: “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”

There was also praise in equal measure from Republican lawmakers who lauded Kennedy for his efforts to phase out artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply.

At the Senate committee meeting, William Arnone, a healthcare policy consultant, sat in the front row. A decades-long advisor to Democratic politicians, Arnone has advised everyone from Kennedy’s late father and prominent Democrat Robert F. Kennedy, when he was a U.S. senator from New York, to former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Arnone said it was time for a change.

“I’ve been a traditional supporter of programs that have democratic roots,” he said. “But it’s time for us to reassess everything and focus on the goal, which is prevention, not treatment.”

Shortly after Kennedy testified, five individuals in the crowd stood up and started moving toward him, with some yelling.

RFK causes deaths among people with AIDS

.

Ben Cohen, one of the founders of Ben & Jerry’s, was among those protesters who were escorted out of the chamber by Capitol Police. The ice cream brand has a history of backing progressive movements.

candidates

.

I informed Congress that their purchase of bombs is resulting in the deaths of impoverished children in Gaza, and as a consequence, they are cutting Medicaid benefits for underprivileged children in the U.S. Here’s how the authorities responded,

he wrote on X.

Others, such as Jeffrey Rose, supported him enthusiastically, stating

Kennedy

‘s

Make America Healthy Again

movement, which concentrates on terminating what he refers to as the ”

chronic disease epidemic

by tackling Big Pharma and Big Food, is precisely what the nation requires.

Wearing a green MAHA hat, Rose said he first crossed paths with Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, over 30 years ago.

“Now we have someone working on the MAHA level for the first time,” Rose said. “How wonderful is that? How great is that?”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY.
You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:

Emotions fly high behind the scenes at RFK Jr.’s Congressional hearings