HHS Secretary Kennedy Testifies Before House Subcommittee
Published June 30, 2025
By AACOM Government Relations
Federal Policy OME Advocate Research
- On June 24, 2025, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health during a contentious hearing.
- Billed as a hearing to examine the fiscal year (FY) 2026 HHS Budget, members questioned the cuts to NIH programs, including HIV research, and voiced concern about protection of NIH whistleblowers and grant cancellations that courts have since ruled against. There was also discussion about HHS grant approvals being held pending Department of Government Efficiency review.
- Secretary Kennedy announced a vision for the future use of health wearable technology as a cost-effective way to combat chronic disease prevention, but members raised concerns about privacy.
- There were heated exchanges around transparency and public input, especially around the federal vaccine approval process.
- For more information, see AACOM’s summary of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing.