At a fiery Senate hearing, Democrats tried to paint HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a heartless budget slasher undermining science and medicine. But Kennedy didn’t take the bait. Instead, he turned the spotlight on the real scandal: bloated institutions siphoning off billions in taxpayer dollars while America’s health continues to nosedive.
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) opened with a pointed line of questioning that compared the Department of Health and Human Services’ workforce under RFK Jr. to past years.
“How many employees were there at HHS when you took over?” he asked.
“Eighty-two thousand,” RFK Jr. replied.
“How many do you have today?” Sen. Kennedy asked.
“Sixty-two thousand,” RFK Jr. said. “It’s about the level it was in 2019, right before COVID.”
The senator pressed the point: “Is this the first time that an institution in America has ever downsized?”
“Private and public institutions have a history of it,” RFK Jr. noted, brushing off the hysterics from the left. Sen. Kennedy followed up by comparing it to companies like Microsoft and Meta, which have also made cuts without destroying their missions. “You think that’ll be the end of Meta?” he asked.
“I imagine it will not,” RFK Jr. answered dryly.
From there, the pair tore into the bureaucratic rot and financial waste surrounding the NIH and federally funded research. “Do you hate NIH?” Sen. Kennedy asked, clearly setting up a rebuttal to Democrat talking points.
“I love NIH,” RFK Jr. answered firmly. “I grew up with NIH. I visited when I was a boy. Those were my favorite afternoons, visiting the labs… I love science.”
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But love for science doesn’t mean ignoring corruption. RFK Jr. explained how research money is being siphoned off by universities for unrelated expenses. “Stanford was taking 78% in indirect costs,” he said. “We don’t know what they were spending it on.”
Sen. Kennedy called it what it is: “That’s theft, isn’t it?”
“It’s not a good way to spend federal taxpayer dollars,” RFK Jr. said diplomatically.
Instead of cutting science, RFK Jr. argued, he’s working to restore it by cutting the graft. “We will be able to fund many, many, many more studies by eliminating that $9 billion — at least part of that $9 billion cost,” he explained. Unlike private foundations like Gates or Rockefeller, which cap indirect costs at 10-15%, U.S. taxpayers have been footing bills as high as 70%.
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The hearing also revealed more government waste through other HHS programs. “They audited seven states,” Sen. Kennedy noted. “They found 11,000 dead people getting LIHEAP grants. Prisoners, federal employees with big salaries — some living in million-dollar homes.”
RFK Jr. wasn’t surprised. “That is pretty typical of many of the other programs that we’re working with,” he said.
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As the session closed, Sen. Kennedy asked why the U.S. allows so many highly processed foods on the market. RFK Jr. didn’t mince words: “It’s driven by profits… The food industry is making money by poisoning American kids. They don’t do it abroad.”
Finally, Sen. Kennedy offered a grim political truth. “You understand, Mr. Secretary, there’s nothing you can do that’s going to make many of my Democratic colleagues happy?”
“I do understand,” RFK Jr. said. “I’m coming to understand that, Senator.”
Then came Senator John Kennedy, and he dismantled the entire narrative with a few simple questions.
Before I break it down, you should really watch the full exchange for yourself. It’s nothing short of glorious. pic.twitter.com/3Z4mWtKz5l
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 20, 2025
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