RFK Jr. Refuses To Say If He Takes ‘Any Responsibility’ for Measles Crisis

WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday refused to say whether he takes any responsibility for the surge in measles cases around the country.

Kennedy, who has spent decades spreading disinformation about the safety of vaccines, has been testifying to Congress for the past two days about President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request. During that time, he repeatedly scoffed at the idea that he deserved any blame for the measles outbreaks that spread on his watch. Instead, he blamed Mennonites, immigrants at the border and other countries for the nationwide crisis.

Thousands of Americans have contracted measles on Kennedy’s watch, the overwhelming majority of whom were unvaccinated. Even as the outbreak spread, the HHS secretary continued to mislead people and downplay the seriousness of the virus.

On Wednesday, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), who told Kennedy she’s been watching him duck accountability in other hearings all week, directly asked him the one question he’s tried to avoid answering.

“You’ve blamed the Mennonites. You’ve blamed immigrants. You’ve blamed the globe,” the senator told him. “We’ve been part of the globe. And still, we are in this situation.”

“Do you take any responsibility in your role for the situation we’re in with this measles epidemic?” she asked.

Even when asked point-blank like this, Kennedy declined to own up to any of the situation: “As I said, the measles epidemic began before I came into office.”

“I’m going to take that as a ‘no’,” Blunt Rochester said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a decadeslong purveyor of disinformation about vaccines, doesn't take any responsibility for the resurgence of measles that's taken place on his watch.

Tom Williams via Getty Images

The HHS secretary has been incredibly defensive all week when asked about vaccines and measles, even when questions weren’t critical of his handling of the outbreaks.

Earlier in Wednesday’s hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the chairman, asked Kennedy how HHS is preparing for the upcoming World Cup games in the U.S., including readiness to handle an influx of tourists who may bring vaccine-preventable diseases into the country.

Kennedy ignored the question and instead boasted that he’s “done better” at controlling measles outbreaks than other countries.

Offering up a statistic he wasn’t asked about, the HHS secretary shared that 80% of unvaccinated children in the U.S. are older than 5 years old, which means their parents’ decisions not to vaccinate them “predated my appointment.”

The “global pandemic” of measles “doesn’t have anything to do with me,” he claimed.

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