Congressional Hearings Feature Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on FY27 Budget: April 2026

May 18, 2026 | Catherine Jones

Recent congressional hearings featuring testimony from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., offered a preview of the Administration’s public health priorities under the FY27 HHS budget proposal. Secretary Kennedy participated in a marathon series of seven House and Senate hearings, totaling approximately 20-plus hours of testimony. Across these sessions, he fielded bipartisan questioning regarding his early tenure, including both accomplishments and areas of concern, while outlining his vision for the future of the nation’s health system.

Central to his testimony was Secretary Kennedy’s defense of the President’s FY27 budget request, released on April 3, 2026, which proposes $111.1 billion in discretionary funding for HHS — a reduction of $15.8 billion or 12.5% from the FY26 enacted level. Lawmakers questioned him on the proposed funding reductions, structural reorganization within HHS agencies, and shifts in public health priorities that could significantly reshape federal support for state and territorial health systems.

One consistent throughline was Secretary Kennedy’s written testimony. He centered his Make America Healthy Again framework and emphasized structural reforms to HHS to “reduce duplication, improve accountability, and maximize the impact of limited resources.” His testimony underscored concerns about rising rates of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, mental health conditions, and substance use disorder, and called for a broader reorientation of federal health efforts toward prevention at the individual level. He also signaled interest in greater scrutiny of public health guidance and a reassessment of existing programs and funding structures within HHS. Notably, while vaccines became a recurring topic during live exchanges with lawmakers, he did not reference them in his written remarks.

Topics of HHS Proposed Cuts and Reorganization

The hearings provided members of Congress with a key opportunity to press for details on the programs and issues they prioritize, particularly those subject to reduction or elimination in the President’s FY27 budget.

In both chambers, lawmakers emphasized Congress’s constitutional authority over appropriations and sought commitments from Secretary Kennedy to support and advance funding in areas they consider critical. Several members highlighted that many programs proposed for elimination or reductions are closely aligned with the administration’s Make America Healthy Again framework, and argued they require sustained or increased investment to achieve the intended outcomes. Major public health areas discussed include:

Chronic Disease

Several lawmakers flagged proposed reductions to programs addressing heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, all core drivers of morbidity and health care spending. Secretary Kennedy expressed his interest in funding chronic disease prevention, although the exact restructuring of programs remains undefined.

Injury and Violence

Members raised concerns about scaling back or eliminating programs tied to suicide prevention, substance use prevention, and overdose surveillance. Secretary Kennedy mentioned the Great American Recovery to address behavioral health issues and new grant programs that are being proposed.

Maternal and Child Health

Questions highlighted the potential negative impacts to maternal health programs (i.e., Safe Motherhood and Infant Health), breastfeeding promotion, maternal and infant mortality surveillance (i.e., Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and Special Projects of Regional and National Significance), and early childhood health initiatives without a level of sustained or increased funding. Secretary Kennedy focused his support on broad system funding.

Environmental Health

Proposed cuts to environmental health programs, polyfluoroalkyl substances elimination, lead poisoning, and cancer risk from glyphosate were mentioned. Secretary Kennedy touted his agency’s work on:

• Food safety (e.g., baby formula).
• Removal of harmful chemicals, additives, and dyes from foods.
• Measurement of microplastics in the body.

He also mentioned that national security concerns with China drive future U.S. production of glyphosate and that the United States is working to develop safer alternatives.

Cross-Cutting Public Health Infrastructure

Lawmakers flagged concerns with reductions in funding streams that support workforce, capacity, labs, and data modernization. Secretary Kennedy focused on the need to modernize infrastructure and the use of artificial intelligence across agencies to improve efficiency and analysis as well as reduce administrative burden.

Workforce

Lawmakers emphasized the loss of institutional knowledge and expertise due to reduction in forces and retirements, posing risks to emergency response and contributing to high stress among remaining staff. Secretary Kennedy acknowledged the challenges of rehiring staff and emphasized external partnerships (academia and private sector) to supplement capacity.

Grant Termination, Flow, and Implementation

Members brought up major disruptions and gaps caused by abruptly withholding or cutting federal funding (citing SAMHSA grant cancellations and subsequent reinstatement as an example), the delayed notice of awards, compressed timelines for grant revisions, and uncertainty in continued funding. They voiced concerns that even if funding is appropriated, a lack of staff at agencies inhibits effective deployment. Some also voiced the importance of detailed report language and directives to ensure programs are fully executed as funded. Secretary Kennedy maintained that HHS is working to accelerate funding distribution and that the proposed streamlined reforms will ultimately reduce administrative burdens.

Public Health Preparedness

Multiple exchanges focused on the tensions between investments in preparedness and proposed cuts to systems that sustain readiness, national stockpiles, lab capacity, early detection of outbreaks, workforce, and data modernization, especially considering the influx of tourists during the World Cup and the Olympics. Secretary Kennedy highlighted funding for the CDC’s Biothreat Radar System, wastewater surveillance, metagenomic testing, data analytics, and the Advanced Molecular Detection program.

Rural and Territorial Health

Some members raised concerns that jurisdictions with fewer resources — particularly rural states, U.S. territories, and the freely associated states — would bear the brunt of funding reductions in infrastructure and programmatic funding, given their reliance on federal support for baseline public health services. Secretary Kennedy highlighted the success of the Rural Health Transformation Fund (U.S. territories and freely associated states are not eligible for this funding), and his continued focus on telehealth, artificial intelligence in diagnostics, workforce recruitment, infrastructure repairs, and preventing rural hospital closures.

Importance and Impact of Hearings

While public health funding was a central focus, the hearings also spanned a wide range of health care-related issues. Lawmakers pressed on drug pricing and affordability, transparency in health care and pharmaceutical costs, prior authorization reforms, improved screenings, and the development of biosimilars. Additional discussions touched on Lyme disease, Alzheimer’s, tobacco and vaping, Medicaid coverage impacts, and broader health care insurance concerns (i.e., access and oversight of health insurers). In addition to CDC, other HHS agencies, such as NIH, FDA, and CMS, were examined — in terms of proposed funding levels, regulatory processes, and potential structural reorganization.

Taken together, these hearings underscore that the current debate extends beyond topline funding — it is fundamentally about the future direction of public health. Decisions about funding levels, allocations, restructuring, and maintaining longstanding programs will directly shape how federal agencies, states, and territories can deliver services, build workforce capacity, and respond to emerging health threats. Shifts in priorities and funding streams could have significant downstream effects on budgets and program stability. Sustained, predictable investment in public health, paired with a strong workforce at the federal, state, and local levels, remains essential for an effective and resilient public health system — and, importantly, public trust in that system.

House and Senate Hearings Featuring Secretary Kennedy

• April 16: House Ways and Means Committee, “Full Committee Hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.”
• April 16: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies, “Budget Hearing – Department of Health and Human Services” 
• April 17: House Education and Workforce Committee, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Health and Human Services”
• April 21: House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, “The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”
• April 21: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies, “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services”
• April 22: Senate Finance Committee, “The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”
• April 22: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, “Hearing on Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”

Reviewed by Carolyn Mullen, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Relations.