RFK distances himself from measles outbreak, bashes Tylenol study [View all]

Source: Roll Call

Posted April 17, 2026 at 2:30pm


Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sought to distance himself from U.S. measles outbreaks on Friday at a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on the administration’s fiscal 2027 budget request. The hearing, part of Kennedy’s weeklong tour of Congress on the budget, was relatively light on spending discussions, as Democrats who have repeatedly requested such a hearing with Kennedy looked to pin him down on a range of issues.

The hearing was often combative, with Democrats drawing attention to issues such as vaccines and Kennedy’s focus on school nutrition. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., chair of the committee, repeatedly reminded members to keep their tone appropriate, noting that a second-grade teacher should be able to safely present the hearing for kids. Kennedy defended himself against assertions that his rhetoric is partly responsible for the ongoing measles outbreak.

He said most cases of measles have occurred in people over the age of 5, meaning that the parents’ decision not to vaccinate pre-dated his term as secretary. “The accusation is not science-based,” he said. “The measles outbreak began in January 2025, before I took office. Almost 90 percent of the people affected are over 5 years old, so they made the decision not to, that their decision to not vaccinate predated my occupation of their seat.”

Most children are recommended to receive the measles vaccine at 1 year of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s childhood vaccine schedule. This measles outbreak this year has totaled more than 1,700 cases as of Thursday, according to the CDC. About 72 percent of those are people under 19 years old, with about 1 in 5 being under age 5. The United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status for the first time since 2000. Losing that status would mean that the country no longer goes for long periods of time without major outbreaks.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/04/17/rfk-distances-himself-from-measles-outbreak-bashes-tylenol-study/