Heath and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a viral and heated exchange with Senator Patty Murphy, D-Wash., during a Senate Appropriations hearing last week that was supposed to focus on budget priorities for his department.
The exchange between the two went off the rails when Murray accused Kennedy of “sprinting down the road to illegally impounding billions in funding through intentional action and incompetence.” She highlighted a number of programs which fall under his purview that Kennedy has considered altering or omitting.
Kennedy’s came back with a mic-drop response that tied decades of growing health problems in America to the policies of Murray’s party.
“Senator, you’ve presided here, I think for 32 years. You have presided over the destruction of the health of the American people. Our people are now the sickest people in the world, because you have not done your job,” Kennedy fired back.
Data and history back up his argument.
Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed public trust in health authorities and agencies.
In April 2020, trust sat at a reasonable 71.5%. Four years later in April 2024 it plummeted to 40.1%, according to a 50-state survey of U.S. adults led by Northeastern University’s distinguished professor of political science and computer sciences.
Hellbound and Down 