U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley to question HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in committee hearing
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he plans to follow up with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Thursday Senate Finance Committee hearing about his commitments to issues like regulating pharmacy benefit managers, improving rural health care systems and oversight of agriculture and dietary guidelines.
When Kennedy faced questions from senators on the committee during the in January, Grassley presented him a list of statements on what he expects from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These included calling for Kennedy to “leave agricultural practice regulations to the proper agencies,” provide timely and complete information when responding to congressional oversight requests and work to lower drug prices through measures targeting business practices of PBMs, the entities that negotiate prescription drug prices between drug manufacturers, pharmacies and health insurance companies.
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Grassley presented his expectations to Kennedy and asked him if he agreed or disagreed with the statements — all of which Kennedy said he agreed with in January.
During a call with reporters Tuesday, Grassley said he plans to follow up on these expectations at the hearing.
“Now he’s been in office for five or six months, I’m thinking that maybe I ought to go back and say, ‘this is what you told me in January or February, whenever it was — do you still think you told me the right thing?’ And, ‘are you doing what you told me you would do?'” Grassley said.
The Iowa Republican also said there are many other issues he hopes to hear about from Kennedy at the hearing tomorrow, saying “he still has some attitudes about agriculture that I’m interested in getting further readout.”
Kennedy’s appearance before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday follows major leadership changes in the federal government’s public health centers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez in late August, and several other high-level CDC officials resigned shortly after. As HHS secretary, Kennedy is involved in overseeing the CDC.
Both Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress answers and investigations into the HHS and related public health entities following the shake-up, and have also brought up concerns about the administration’s current approach to subjects like vaccinations. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, “high profile departures will require oversight by the HELP Committee.” He also called for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to indefinitely postpone its September meeting as “serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September ACIP meeting.”
According to , Grassley told reporters Aug. 29 he believes decisions made by public health officials and scientists on vaccines “should not be a political determination.”
“He’s got some changes he wants to make in vaccines,” Grassley said at an Indianola event. “I don’t think it’s quite fair to say he’s anti-vaccine, but he’s got some changes he wants to make. I think we need more direction where he’s headed for.”
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