1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

Turn up the heat on congressional oversight of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Reject any budget that weakens America’s public-health capacity while he continues to evade responsibility and mislead the public. At recent hearings, Secretary Kennedy defended President Trump’s claim that drug prices had been reduced by as much as 600%. This is mathematically impossible!! So, the head of HHS is asking us to accept major health-policy changes and sweeping agency cuts, while treating basic math as optional?! That same hearing record is even more disturbing when it comes to vaccines and disease outbreaks. Instead of accepting responsibility for the consequences of his anti-vaccine messaging, he said, “I had nothing to do with the measles outbreak.” But the United States recorded its highest measles caseload in decades last year, and this year’s tally is already alarmingly high. At the same time, the administration is proposing a 12% cut to HHS. I urge you to take four immediate steps. (1) Reject any HHS budget cuts that reduce disease surveillance, vaccination programs, research capacity, or the CDC’s operational strength. )2) Require full documentation for the administration’s prescription-drug pricing claims. (3) Initiate sworn testimony and regular reporting on measles response, vaccine guidance, and staffing vacancies across CDC leadership. (4) Support aggressive, public oversight hearings until the department is being run with transparency, scientific integrity, and basic competence. Congress must act like the guardrail the Constitution intended and stop this ongoing degradation of the nation’s public-health system.