RFK Jr. Lied About His Anti-Vaccine Extremism, His Role in the Deadly 2019 Measles Outbreak in Samoa, How Medicare and Medicaid Provide Care to Americans, and More
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a con man who will say anything to get confirmed and help Donald Trump rip away health care from Americans, so it’s no surprise that he lied time and time again during today’s disastrous confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. RFK Jr. lied about his own words opposing lifesaving vaccines, denied his role in the deadly 2019 Samoa measles outbreak, and failed to answer basic questions about America’s health care system. Leading news outlets, experts, and commentators called out RFK Jr.’s lies, proving that he is completely unqualified to serve as HHS Secretary.
IN THE NEWS:
Time: RFK Jr. Denied He Is Anti-Vaccine During His Confirmation Hearing. Here’s His Record.
- “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the most famous vaccine skeptics in the U.S., tried to distance himself from his decades of anti-vaccine sentiment during his Jan. 29 hearing to be confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)… many senators—including Oregon’s Ron Wyden, a Democrat—pressed Kennedy on discrepancies between his past public statements—in which he has repeatedly questioned the safety and necessity of vaccines and said they are linked to autism and chronic diseases—and his sanitized comments during the hearing.”
Mother Jones: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Distorts the Facts on His Infamous Samoa Visit.
- “Under oath, Kennedy claimed that his trip to Samoa had ‘nothing to do with vaccines,’ and that the purpose of his trip had been ‘to introduce a medical informatics system’ and to ‘digitize records in Samoa and make health delivery much more efficient.’ But that’s not exactly true. Recent reporting from NBC’s Brandy Zadrozny shows that Kennedy traveled to Samoa on behalf of the anti-vaccine nonprofit he founded, Children’s Health Defense; in the past, he has acknowledged that his opposition to vaccines factored into the trip, claiming that he’d gone because ‘government officials, including the Prime Minister were curious to measure health outcomes following the ‘natural experiment’ created by the respite from vaccines.’”
Axios: RFK Jr. Struggles to Answer Medicaid Questions in Confirmation Hearing.
- “Kennedy seemed to struggle when Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) pushed him on what reforms he would propose for Medicaid, a program that provides coverage to some 72 million Americans. Kennedy described Medicaid, a state-federal program, as being ‘fully paid for’ by the federal government. Medicaid is funded by both the states and the federal government. The program represents $1 out of every $6 spent on health care in the U.S., per a 2023 report from KFF.”
The New York Times: R.F.K. Jr. Appears Unfamiliar With Key Elements of Medicare and Medicaid.
- “In a tense exchange with Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. displayed a surprising lack of familiarity with Medicare and Medicaid, the government programs responsible for covering more than 150 million Americans. At times, Mr. Kennedy seemed to confuse the two programs.”
WHAT EXPERTS ARE SAYING:
Associate Public Health Director at Center for American Progress Marquisha Johns: “RFK Jr. claims that NIH has infectious diseases as the chief funding focus while not funding chronic disease research. Last year, NIH’s infectious disease institute had about $6B out of NIH’s $40B budget. The cancer institute’s budget alone was higher than this at $7B.” [@marquishajohns.bsky.social, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times and MSNBC Analyst Peter Baker: “As Democrats and even some Republicans press RFK Jr., he has stumbled over basic facts. At one point, he described Medicaid premiums and deductibles as too high when, except in very rare cases, the program’s enrollees do not pay either.” [@peterbakernyt.bsky.social, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families Joan Alker: “Yes agree – he just answered a question about Medicaid saying that the President asked him to fix the high premiums and deductibles in Medicaid … which thankfully is a problem Medicaid doesn’t have!” [@JoanAlker1, X, 1/29/25]
Executive Vice President for Health Policy at KFF Larry Levitt: “RFK Jr. said the “premiums are too high” in Medicaid. In fact, premiums in Medicaid are generally prohibited, though some states have waivers to charge premiums.” [@larrylevitt.bsky.social, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
Director of Public Health and Policy at the Center for American Progress Jill Rosenthal: “RFK Jr is still spreading misinformation. Water fluoridation is among the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. Dose matters, but it is good for teeth.” [@jillrose.bsky.social, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
Senior National Reporter for HuffPost Jonathan Cohn: “Kennedy just gave a nonsensical answer on Medicaid. Under questioning from Sen. Cassidy about the program’s performance and options for future reform, he referred to the fact that people in Medicaid pay high premiums. Near the end of his answer, he referred again to ‘premiums.’ Here’s the thing: People in Medicaid don’t pay premiums, except in special circumstances or through state waivers. [HuffPost, 1/29/25]
Senior National Reporter for HuffPost Jonathan Cohn: “RFK’s answer on Medicaid was … something Not at all clear he understands the program, which he would oversee and which is [checks notes] the nation’s single largest public insurance program by enrollment” [@CitizenCohn, X, 1/29/25]
New York Times Reporter Margot Sanger-Katz: “Kennedy seems unfamiliar with numerous details about how Medicaid works–getting his description of the program’s financing and benefit structure wrong. Notably, it is Sen. Cassidy who is pursuing this line of questioning about core CMS programs that Kennedy hasn’t talked about much before.” [@sangerkatz.bsky.social, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
New Yorker Reporter Clare Malone: “This is an important fact check. It demonstrates the ways that Kennedy tries to wriggle out of his many on the record statements.” [@claremalone.bsky.social, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
Charles Gaba, Health Policy Expert: “In fact, over 50% of Medicare is NOT fee for service any longer (Medicare Advantage became the default choice about a year ago, for good or for bad).” [@charlesgaba.com, Bluesky, 1/29/25]
Chief Washington Correspondent for KFF Health News, Julie Rovner: “RFK [Jr.] keeps talking about Medicaid premiums. Medicaid, with few exceptions, doesn’t HAVE premiums. (He’s thinking of Medicare)” [@jrovner, X, 1/29/25]
New York Times Reporter Sarah Kliff: “RFK’s answers to Sen. Cassidy’s questions about Medicaid basics underscored a lack of familiarity with the program. He described it as a fully federally funded program. The costs are actually split between states and the feds. He described the premiums and deductibles as being too high. Medicaid does not have premiums or deductibles, aside from a handful of small experiments with them (mostly in GOP states during the last Trump administration).” [@SarahKliff, X, 1/29/25]