A Senate Republican pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his anti-vaccine stance during the top Trump health official's appearance before the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the chairman of the committee, told Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. that trust in vaccines and rates of immunization have dropped in the last year "due to false statements about safety and efficacy of vaccines" during the testimony.
"I'm a guy who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases," Cassidy, a doctor, told RFK Jr. "When I see outbreaks numbering in the thousands and people dying once more from vaccine preventable diseases, particularly children, it seems more than tragic."
RFK Jr., who got the business from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) earlier in the day for "scam discounts" on drug prices, defended his efforts to prevent disease outbreaks.
"We know how to control the outbreaks," telling Cassidy to ask Govs. Henry McMaster of South Carolina and Greg Abbott of Texas to back him up. "I've done a better job of limiting it than any country in the world."
Cassidy pointed out that the U.S. will host the World Cup in June, and "tourists from all over the world will come to the United States. Unfortunately, some of them will bring vaccine preventable diseases like measles." Cassidy asked RFK Jr. how he plans to avoid an outbreak, considering lower immunization rates.
"We've done better at controlling the measles outbreak than any country in the world," RFK Jr. insisted. "This is a global outbreak. It started before I came into office...It has nothing to do with me. I wasn't in those countries."
Cassidy flipped the defense on its head, telling RFK Jr. that "you are pointing out that other countries have outbreaks, which increases the likelihood they will bring that here."
Cassidy confirmed RFK Jr.'s selection as HHS secretary last year. NBC News noted that, ahead of the hearing, RFK Jr. promised to "preserve federal vaccine recommendations and regularly appear before the committee" in order to secure Cassidy's support.