RFK Jr. Clashes with Democrat in House Hearing over Vaccines: ‘You’ve Accepted $2 Million from Pharma’
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clashed with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) during a fiery House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday, claiming the Democrat was abandoning vaccine-injured Americans after accepting millions in donations from the pharmaceutical industry.
Kennedy was testifying on the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services when Pallone launched into a blistering attack. “Secretary Kennedy, quite frankly, I think you’re trying to defend the indefensible. There’s no way that this budget or the actions you have taken thus far as secretary are going to make this country healthier,” he said. Pallone went on to accuse the Secretary of pushing anti-science views, promoting conspiracy theories, and endangering lives with his vaccine policies. “I just really think that people are going to die as a result of your actions and congressional Republicans’ actions,” he warned.
Pallone also raised concerns about the lack of communication between HHS and Congress. He pressed further, demanding to know why Kennedy had not opened public comments on vaccine-related decisions. “You say you want transparency, but there’s been no public process for any of this. Why?” he asked.
Kennedy replied, “We have a public process for regulating vaccines. It’s called the ACIP committee, and it’s a public meeting that we —”
Pallone cut in, “You fired the committee.”
Kennedy responded, “I fired people who had conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry. That committee has been a template for medical malpractice for years.”
As his time for questioning drew to a close, Pallone concluded, “The bottom line is here we have no transparency, we have no response. You feel no responsibility to Congress whatsoever, and you just continue this ideology that’s anti-science, anti-vaccine. That’s all I see. I see nothing else. And I don’t think I’m ever going to get a response.”
Later in the hearing, during questioning from Rep. Dunn (R-FL), Kennedy turned back to Pallone’s criticism.
“Congressman Pallone, 15 years ago, you and I met,” Kennedy said. “You were, at that time, a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines. You were very adamant about it. You were the leading member of Congress on that issue. Since then, you’ve accepted $2 million from pharmaceutical companies and contribution — more than any other member of this committee, and your enthusiasm for supporting the old ACIP Committee, which was completely rife and pervasive with pharmaceutical conflicts, seems to be an outcome of those contributions.”
Kennedy’s remarks sparked immediate outrage from Democrats on the panel, prompting Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) to raise a point of order, accusing him of impugning a fellow member’s reputation. “The secretary implied that Mr. Pallone would not fight for vaccine victims because he took money from the pharmaceutical industry,” she said. “He needs to take back those words.”
At the request of Chairman Buddy Carter (R-GA), Kennedy retracted the remark.
