Press ReleaseUrgent2026-04-29

ABC: RFK Jr. defends vaccine views, autism comments during House committee hearing

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This press release from Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA) was published on 2026-04-29 and titled "ABC: RFK Jr. defends vaccine views, autism comments during House committee hearing". It focuses on healthcare and touches on taxes, the environment.

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ABC: RFK Jr. defends vaccine views, autism comments during House committee hearing

RFK Jr. contradicts experts on rise of autism diagnosesHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was determined to find the "environmental exposures" behind the rise of autism diagnoses. ( ABC News ) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endured another grueling hearing on Capitol Hill focused on his decisions that lawmakers claim have impacted children's health, including his views on vaccines and previous comments about autism. Following the hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Friday, Kennedy ignored questions from reporters on President Donald Trump's new nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Erica Schwartz , and Kennedy's upcoming hearings with Senators next week. Views on vaccines Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., suggested Kennedy's history of vaccine-skeptic rhetoric is correlated to an uptick in measles cases. "Does exposing infants and children to measles enhance their health and well-being?" Bonamici asked. Kennedy told Bonamici he is "not anti-vaccine." "I've never been anti-vaccine," Kennedy said. "I've always said I'm not anti-vaccine." "Mr. Secretary, you have been a longtime voice against vaccination," she pressed Kennedy. Kennedy has long sown doubt in the safety and effectiveness of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Despite being a required vaccine in all states to attend public school, rates have been steadily decreasing over the last decade, CDC data shows. It comes as vaccine exemptions have risen sharply, with at least 138,000 kindergarteners exempt from one or more vaccines during the most recent school year, according to CDC data. "No, I haven't," he reiterated. "I'm not anti-vax. I'm pro science. What I've said is vaccines should be adequately safety tested so we know both about the risk and the benefits," he added. Two unvaccinated school-aged children died last year from measles -- the first U.S. deaths from measles in a decade. However, Kennedy said the measles deaths in a Texas Mennonite community should not be linked to him. "I went to the funeral of one of those little girls, and I spent a day with the family of the other, and both of them told me that when they took their children to the hospital, they were treated as pariahs," Kennedy said. "They were not given proper treatments. Both families believe their daughters and their own doctors believe their daughters could have been saved if the hospital gave them proper treatment," he continued.. Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, which treated at least one of the two children who died, said in a statement last year that there were "misleading and inaccurate claims" circulating online about care provided at the hospital. "What we can say is that our physicians and care teams follow evidence-based protocols and make clinical decisions based on a patient's evolving condition, diagnostic findings, and the best available medical knowledge," the hospital said. The hospital did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on Friday. Medical organizations and public health experts have been critical of the federal government's response to ongoing measles outbreak, including Kennedy's delayed public acknowledgment that the measles vaccine helps prevent infection. Past comments on autism Much of the nearly three-hour hearing seized on Kennedy's previous comments about autism that Democrats believe are harmful to the community. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., asked Kennedy to apologize for saying that "autism destroys families" at a presser last year. "I was talking about people with profound autism," Kennedy told McBath. "People ... who have lowering impact autism. I'm talking about people who are nonverbal, non-toilet trained, head banging." "I find that very, very sad. It should be very easy for you to apologize if that's not, in fact, what you meant," McBath said. "Those are crocodile tears, Congresswoman," Kennedy replied. Kennedy had a rare exchange with a Republican lawmaker over largely unfounded claims about the link between Tylenol use among pregnant mothers and the increased risk of their unborn children being diagnosed with autism and other health disorders. Virginia Foxx, R-N. Car., asked Kennedy about a recent study suggesting there's "no connection" between Tylenol usage in pregnancy and autism in babies. "The study is a garbage study," Kennedy told Foxx. "It should be retracted." The study analyzed 1.5 million children in Denmark and found no link between Tylenol during pregnancy and autism later in life. Kennedy claimed the study needed to be retracted because it determined whether women took Tylenol during pregnancy by prescription, and Tylenol is a well-known over-the-counter medication. Trump's mental fitness In the hearing focused on Americans' health and health care costs, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., used Trump's social media posts to question Kennedy about the president's mental fitness and st

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ABC: RFK Jr. defends vaccine views, autism comments during House committee hearing RFK Jr. contradicts experts on rise of autism diagnosesHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was determined to find the "environmental exposures" behind the rise of autism diagnoses. ( ABC News ) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endured another grueling hearing on Capitol Hill focused on his decisions that lawmakers claim have impacted children's health, including his views on vaccines and previous comments about autism. Following the hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Friday, Kennedy ignored questions from reporters on President Donald Trump's new nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Erica Schwartz , and Kennedy's upcoming hearings with Senators next week. Views on vaccines Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., suggested Kennedy's history of vaccine-skeptic rhetoric is correlated to an uptick in measles cases. "Does exposing infants and children to measles enhance their health and well-being?" Bonamici asked. Kennedy told Bonamici he is "not anti-vaccine." "I've never been anti-vaccine," Kennedy said. "I've always said I'm not anti-vaccine." "Mr. Secretary, you have been a longtime voice against vaccination," she pressed Kennedy. Kennedy has long sown doubt in the safety and effectiveness of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Despite being a required vaccine in all states to attend public school, rates have been steadily decreasing over the last decade, CDC data shows. It comes as vaccine exemptions have risen sharply, with at least 138,000 kindergarteners exempt from one or more vaccines during the most recent school year, according to CDC data. "No, I haven't," he reiterated. "I'm not anti-vax. I'm pro science. What I've said is vaccines should be adequately safety tested so we know both about the risk and the benefits," he added. Two unvaccinated school-aged children died last year from measles -- the first U.S. deaths from measles in a decade. However, Kennedy said the measles deaths in a Texas Mennonite community should not be linked to him. "I went to the funeral of one of those little girls, and I spent a day with the family of the other, and both of them told me that when they took their children to the hospital, they were treated as pariahs," Kennedy said. "They were not given proper treatments. Both families believe their daughters and their own doctors believe their daughters could have been saved if the hospital gave them proper treatment," he continued.. Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, which treated at least one of the two children who died, said in a statement last year that there were "misleading and inaccurate claims" circulating online about care provided at the hospital. "What we can say is that our physicians and care teams follow evidence-based protocols and make clinical decisions based on a patient's evolving condition, diagnostic findings, and the best available medical knowledge," the hospital said. The hospital did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on Friday. Medical organizations and public health experts have been critical of the federal government's response to ongoing measles outbreak, including Kennedy's delayed public acknowledgment that the measles vaccine helps prevent infection. Past comments on autism Much of the nearly three-hour hearing seized on Kennedy's previous comments about autism that Democrats believe are harmful to the community. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., asked Kennedy to apologize for saying that "autism destroys families" at a presser last year. "I was talking about people with profound autism," Kennedy told McBath. "People ... who have lowering impact autism. I'm talking about people who are nonverbal, non-toilet trained, head banging." "I find that very, very sad. It should be very easy for you to apologize if that's not, in fact, what you meant," McBath said. "Those are crocodile tears, Congresswoman," Kennedy replied. Kennedy had a rare exchange with a Republican lawmaker over largely unfounded claims about the link between Tylenol use among pregnant mothers and the increased risk of their unborn children being diagnosed with autism and other health disorders. Virginia Foxx, R-N. Car., asked Kennedy about a recent study suggesting there's "no connection" between Tylenol usage in pregnancy and autism in babies. "The study is a garbage study," Kennedy told Foxx. "It should be retracted." The study analyzed 1.5 million children in Denmark and found no link between Tylenol during pregnancy and autism later in life. Kennedy claimed the study needed to be retracted because it determined whether women took Tylenol during pregnancy by prescription, and Tylenol is a well-known over-the-counter medication. Trump's mental fitness In the hearing focused on Americans' health and health care costs, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., used Trump's social media posts to question Kennedy about the president's mental fitness and st