Overview

• In a combative three‑hour Senate Finance Committee hearing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his CDC overhaul, disputed ousted director Susan Monarez’s account, and questioned basic COVID statistics.
• Kennedy identified William Thompson as an outside immunization adviser and confirmed David Geier is under HHS contract working on a federal database of reported post‑vaccination side effects.
• He said HHS will launch observational studies on links between approved childhood vaccines and chronic disease and suggested potential revisions to the pediatric vaccine schedule.
• Republican physicians, including Sens. John Barrasso and Bill Cassidy, criticized his vaccine approach, flagging his purge of the ACIP panel and the cancellation of roughly $500 million in mRNA research contracts.
• Medical societies and more than 1,000 current and former HHS staff have called for his removal as new federal recommendations and state rules constrain access to COVID boosters in many pharmacies, yet the White House reaffirmed its support.