Lawmakers clash with RFK Jr as he shifts focus away from vaccines

But in March, a judge struck down many of those changes, finding the new members of the advisory panel had not been properly appointed. HHS indicated that the agency would appeal against the ruling, but has yet to do so, and in the months since, Kennedy has appeared to shift focus away from talking about vaccines. Democratic Representative Linda Sanchez also pressed Kennedy about the US measles outbreak, which led to the deaths of two children in Texas last year. During the outbreak, Kennedy at times endorsed the safe and effective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while at other times casting doubt on its safety. Sanchez asked Kennedy whether a child's life could have been saved by the measles vaccine. "It's possible, certainly," Kennedy said. At times, Kennedy fired back, frustrated that Democrats were not allowing him time to respond. "They've all shut me up and they've talked about science, but science is about debate," he said. Several Republicans thanked him for his agenda, including Jodey Arrington, who called Kennedy "a breath of fresh air". Kennedy received criticism from at least one Republican, Blake Moore of Utah, who said he had a neurodivergent son and was "underwhelmed" with the Trump administration's autism research efforts.