The Daily Senators Unleash on R.F.K. Jr.
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Sep 5, 2025 
In a gripping discussion, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a New York Times health policy correspondent, provides insights into a heated Senate hearing where Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense scrutiny over his vaccine policies and the dismissal of the CDC director. Senators from both parties expressed alarm over rising vaccine skepticism and its implications for public health. Stolberg highlights the significant political divisions that emerged and discusses the shifting landscape of health governance as states begin to diverge from federal vaccine recommendations.
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Broken Confirmation Promise
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised during confirmation not to remove vaccines or discourage vaccination but later took actions that contradicted that pledge.
- That contradiction crystallized senators' concerns and set the hearing's confrontational tone.
Policy Changes Reduced Vaccine Access
- Kennedy rescinded CDC recommendations for COVID vaccines for healthy people under 65 and canceled mRNA contracts, reducing access.
- Those policy moves effectively made boosters harder to obtain and intensified bipartisan alarm.
Recommendations Shape Real Access
- Redefining CDC recommendations can shift where people obtain vaccines and whether insurers cover them.
- Kennedy argued classification changes don't remove vaccines, but they change real-world access and costs.
