RFK Jr. testifies at Senate hearing amid CDC, vaccine upheaval

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sitting for a Senate grilling on Thursday over his sweeping shakeup of the nation's health agencies and vaccine policy.The big picture: His testimony is senators' first opportunity to publicly question Kennedy since May, when he defended the Trump administration's mass layoffs and funding cuts to his department. Since then, turmoil at HHS has grown and spilled into public view.Driving the news: At the onset of the hearing, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) referenced the secretary's past assurance that he would not make it difficult for people to access vaccines and asked for Kennedy to be formally sworn in."That was clearly not true," Wyden said.Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) denied that request, saying, "We will treat this witness as we treat all of the other administration witnesses who come before us."Friction point: Democrats on the panel have signaled they're ready to grill Kennedy, with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) describing attacks on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as "stupidity on steroids" and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) calling for his firing after his remarks about the Minneapolis mass shooting.But some Republican senators are also expected to put pressure on Kennedy at Thursday's hearing, Axios' Peter Sullivan reports."I need to know why ... his words in his confirmation hearing aren't matching up with some of the deeds," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the panel.Another key member to watch will be Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who voted to advance Kennedy's nomination despite concerns about his vaccine views.Yes, but: Kennedy still has staunch defenders in the Senate GOP.State of play: In his quest to secure confirmation earlier this year, Kennedy vowed not to hinder or discourage people from taking vaccines, but his new COVID vaccine policy limits access to the shot, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim writes.Meanwhile, there has been an exodus of leadership at the CDC, including ex-Director Susan Monarez and a growing staff revolt against Kennedy.Thousands of staffers have resigned or been fired from the CDC since January.Zoom in: Kennedy has also removed all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, saying a "clean sweep" was "necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science."Several of the new members he named have a history of expressing anti-vaccine sentiment or voicing concerns about COVID-19 or mRNA vaccines, Axios' Maya Goldman and Tina Reed reported.Go deeper: More than 1,000 HHS workers demand RFK Jr.'s resignation in new letterEditor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.