The Latest: RFK Jr. will appear before Congress amid turmoil at CDC The September 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM 0 President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) U.S.
- - The Latest: RFK Jr. will appear before Congress amid turmoil at CDC
The September 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
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President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before a congressional committee Thursday, where he's expected to face questions about turmoil at federal health agencies.
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to "Make America Healthy Again." But the health secretary is expected to face questions about layoffs and planned budget cuts that detractors say are wrecking the nation's ability to prevent disease.
Kennedy recently fired Susan Monarez, a longtime government scientist he installed as the CDC director for less than a month and has sought to reshape the nation's vaccine policies to match his long-standing suspicions about the safety and effectiveness of long-established shots.
Here's the latest:
Melania Trump will address the White House task force on AI
The first lady will gather with members of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education and private sector leaders later today.
Trump's made online protection of children a central part of her "Be Best" initiative. She said in a statement ahead of today's meeting that she won't be surprised if AI becomes the "greatest engine of progress" in U.S. history.
"But, as leaders and parents we must manage AI's growth responsibly," she added. "During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children — empowering, but with watchful guidance. We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare America's children."
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, facing primary challengers, proceeds cautiously on CDC and RFK Jr.
Cassidy's support was crucial to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services. With firings and resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now prompting concern about a leadership breakdown at the nation's leading public health agency, the Louisiana lawmaker and physician is in a tight spot.
The two-term senator — who publicly expressed concern about Kennedy's anti-vaccination positions before voting to confirm him — has worried aloud about "serious allegations" at the CDC and has called for oversight, without blaming Kennedy.
But he was choosing his words carefully as he returned to Washington this week after the Senate's August recess and was preparing to question Kennedy during a finance committee meeting scheduled for Thursday. Cassidy told reporters he hadn't yet decided what to ask Kennedy, saying, "I want to carefully frame the question."
▶ Read more about Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy
High-ranking Democrat says RFK Jr. must 'answer to the public'
In a statement last week, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon — the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee — said, "It is more imperative than ever that Kennedy answer to the public and their representatives about the chaos, confusion, and harm his actions are inflicting on American families."
Kennedy's track record as health secretary
In May, Kennedy — a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement — announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.
In June, he abruptly disbanded a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors' groups that had long helped form the committee's recommendations.
Source: "AOL AOL General News"
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