A combative Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, sharply criticizing Democratic lawmakers who resisted his argument that finding savings in the federal budget is a legitimate goal for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Trump advisor directed particular ire at Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), accusing her of failing to acknowledge his efforts to limit food dyes in children’s food, a cause she has championed for the past 20 years. “Thirty-eight percent of our youth are diabetic or pre-diabetic. That was zero when I was a kid,” the HHS secretary said before the House Appropriations Committee as he defended cuts to the federal agency that have left Democrats like DeLauro raging.
For RFK Jr., a former Democrat who left the party after facing ridicule for challenging former President Joe Biden, the HHS he inherited was far from a leader in children’s health and needed a complete overhaul. “If anybody thinks that we did gold standard medicine in this country from these institutions — look at our children! They’re some of the sickest children in the world,” he continued before turning to DeLauro. “Congresswoman DeLauro, you say that you’ve worked for 20 years on getting food dye out. Give me credit! I got it out in a hundred days!”
To her credit, she did respond behind a muted mic: “I’ll give you that credit.” RFK Jr. responded, “Alright, so let’s work together and do something that we all believe in, which is to have healthy kids in our country for God’s sake.”
The maker of MAHA is scheduled to head across town Wednesday afternoon for another round of intense testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. These appearances mark his first return to Congress since successfully navigating confirmation hearings in January, according to ABC News.