Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr claimed that he doesn’t ‘think people should be taking medical advice’ from him.
He made the remarks before the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee’s health subcommittee on his department’s proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year and later answered questions for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Kennedy, who previously led anti-vaccine advocacy group Children’s Health Defense, has been criticised for failing to endorse measles shots during an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000, mostly unvaccinated, people and killed three.
Asked if he would give his children the measles vaccine today, Kennedy did not respond directly.
“Measles? Probably for measles. What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” he said. “I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me.”