Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is simply not telling the truth about the Trump administration's commitment to supporting lead poisoning efforts, Dr. Sanjay Gupta told CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday.
"During the Senate hearing today, [Kennedy] was pressed on whether the lead program, looking into lead contamination and the like at the [Centers for Disease Control], was being funded or not," said Tapper," playing the clip of Kennedy's response.
"We're continuing to fund the program," he said in the clip. "And in Milwaukee, we have a team in Milwaukee, and we're giving laboratory support to, to the, to the analytics in Milwaukee, and we're working with the health department in Milwaukee."
"Sanjay, you were recently in Milwaukee," said Tapper. "Does that track with what officials there told you?"
EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade
"Simple answer is no, not at all," said Gupta. "I mean, April 3rd, first of all, the original request from Milwaukee's health department was denied. I was there a couple of weeks ago, spent a week there, talked to the health commissioner specifically about this. This is what he said."
"I think the long-term investigation into the potential chronic exposures of students at the district is a part that we were really looking for the CDC to help us with, and unfortunately, HHS had laid off that entire team for childhood lead exposure," said Milwaukee health commissioner Dr. Michael Totoraitis. "These are the, the best and brightest minds in these areas around lead poisoning. And now they're gone."
Gupta added that after today, weeks after that exchange, "we reached out to Milwaukee again, and here's what they said: 'The City of Milwaukee Health Department is not receiving any federal epidemiological or analytical support related to the lead hazard crisis. The request has been denied by the CDC.' So I'm not sure what he's referring to, Jake. They're not getting help still."
Watch the video below or at the link here.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
