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• Posted April 22, 2026

RFK Jr. Won’t Commit to CDC Nominee’s Vaccine Decisions

During a tense congressional hearing Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declined to say whether he would follow vaccine recommendations from the latest nominee to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Asked if he would support vaccine guidance Dr. Erica Schwartz might issue if confirmed as CDC director, Kennedy replied: “I’m not going to make that kind of commitment."

The comment came during a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where lawmakers pressed Kennedy on vaccines and a growing measles outbreak in the United States, The New York Times reported.

Schwartz, who's served as deputy surgeon general and has more than two decades of experience in public health, has publicly supported vaccinations and has been praised by some public health experts. 

Kennedy said he supports her nomination and has spoken with Schwartz, but hasn’t discussed her selection with the president, The Times said.

During the hearing, Democrats criticized Kennedy’s past statements on vaccines and questioned how he's handling the ongoing measles outbreak, which is the largest seen in decades. 

Nationwide, there were 2,288 confirmed measles cases last year, and two children in Texas died, according to the CDC. So far this year, more than 1,700 cases have been reported.

But Kennedy pushed back, emphasizing that the outbreak began before he took office and is part of a global trend, The Times reported 

He also said most cases involved kids ages 5 and older whose parents had already chosen not to vaccinate them.

“It’s real life, Mr. Secretary, and you have blood on your hands,” Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, said.

Some Republicans defended Kennedy’s work, including moves tied to nutrition and rural health care. 

Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., who led the hearing, said Kennedy’s record on measles had been misrepresented by “a lot of misleading commentary" and asked him to “explain how HHS is strengthening measles trust with patients and families," The Times reported.

Kennedy thanked her and said he wanted to address the "talking point for Democrats that somehow I caused the measles epidemic."

He previously fired all 17 members of a key CDC vaccine advisory panel and replaced them with new members, including some vaccine skeptics. The firings were later blocked. 

He also let go former CDC Director Susan Monarez, who had been in the role for less than a month. She told lawmakers she would not commit to approving the recommendations of Kennedy’s vaccine advisers.

Kennedy said those decisions were not tied to vaccine policy.

More information

There’s more online about the priorities and people of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

SOURCE: The New York Times, April 21, 2026