WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the six months since his confirmation as secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s tenure has been included major shakeups at the Center for Disease Control, along with the elevation of vaccine skepticism at the federal level.
This turbulence brought Kennedy in front of a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday.
Watch full: Sen. Warner questions HHS Secretary RFK Jr. during Congressional hearing
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, challenged Kennedy on a range of issues. Warner started his line of questioning by asking, "do you accept the fact that 1 million Americans died from COVID?"
"I don't know how many died," Kennedy answered. "I don't think anybody knows, because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC."
The Virginia senator then asked Kennedy whether the COVID-19 vaccine prevented deaths. This question received a similar response, with Kennedy pointing to the Biden administration's handling of COVID-19 data.
Watch related coverage: HHS Secretary Kennedy tells senators fired CDC director was lying about vaccine claims
"Data by the Biden administration, absolutely dismal — total chaos," Kennedy said, claiming all the people that questioned the data collection were fired.
"So the secretary of health and human services doesn't know how many Americans died from COVID, doesn't know if the vaccine helped prevented any deaths, and you're sitting as the secretary of Health and Human Services. How can you be that ignorant?" Warner responded.
Warner then pivoted to discuss Medicaid funding cuts included in the "Big, Beautiful" bill and how it would impact underserved communities. Again, this fact was refuted entirely by Kennedy.
Watch related coverage: Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' has passed, so what does that mean for Hampton Roads?
Due to a lack of funding from Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, a rural hospital in Franklin will have to close, Warner claimed during the hearing.
Warner then asked Kennedy whether the Trump administration support two pieces of legislation focused on underserved hospital funding.
One bill would aim to to boost funding for rural hospitals through an increase in the area wage index. The other would increase Medicaid payment rates for labor and delivery services at rural and high-need urban hospitals.
For the first time during this line of questioning, Kennedy said he (and the Trump administration at-large) was willing to find common ground with Warner.
