Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used to be a Democrat. But their radicalism drove him away from the party.
And the U.S. Capitol exploded in chaos after RFK Jr. goes nuclear on these radical Leftists.
Tense Senate Showdown: RFK Jr. and Sen. Murray Clash Over Health Policy and Budget Cuts
During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Washington Senator Patty Murray engaged in a heated exchange over the state of American health and recent budget decisions. The confrontation, marked by sharp accusations and pointed interruptions, highlighted deep tensions between the two figures.
Kennedy, addressing Murray directly, criticized her long tenure in the Senate, which began in 1993. “You’ve presided here, I think, for 32 years. You presided over the destruction of the health of the American people. Our people are now the sickest people in the world,” he charged, sparking an immediate reaction. “Seriously?” Murray responded.
Kennedy pressed on, questioning her record: “What have you done about it? What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?”
The exchange grew chaotic, with both talking over each other until Republican West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the subcommittee chair, intervened, urging Kennedy to “hold back and let the senator ask the questions.”
Murray redirected the conversation to her original query about child care funding. “Mr. Secretary, I’m asking you a question about child care,” she said. “I’m asking you who made the decision to withhold child care and development block grant funding?”
“That was made by my department,” Kennedy replied.
The hearing, focused on the Health and Human Services (HHS) budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, followed recent contentious interactions between Kennedy and Democratic lawmakers in both Senate and House hearings. Murray zeroed in on reported cuts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), challenging Kennedy’s earlier statements.
“And you said last week, quote, ‘we were not cutting thousands of scientists. We are not cutting clinical trials.’ But I want you to know, in the last four months, you fired or pushed out nearly 5,000 NIH staff and terminated more than 1,600 NIH grants. That includes more than 240 clinical trials across the country. So whose decision was it to fire scientists and terminate these NIH grants and the clinical trial?”
Kennedy dismissed her claims, stating, “Senator, I don’t trust your information with all due respect.” He referenced a previous exchange, accusing Murray of making inaccurate statements about a clinical trial in her state.
“You told me what, three days ago or four days ago, that we had cut a clinical trial in your state and … what you said turned out to be completely untrue. And you knew it was untrue because you corresponded with (Director of the National Institutes of Health) Jay Bhattacharya before that.”
Murray, undeterred, accused Kennedy of dodging her questions. “You came here to argue with me,” she said.
“I came here to ask you questions about your budget request. Your budget request is asking us to cut dramatically. But I am also making the point that Senator Baldwin made, that what you are doing right now is enacting your budget, that Congress has not passed, by cutting critical funding across the board.”
The clash echoed a prior confrontation the previous Wednesday, when Murray raised concerns about a constituent, a mother of two from Bainbridge Island battling stage four colorectal cancer. “She has been fighting aggressive stage four colorectal cancer for nearly five years now. Her best hope now is a clinical trial she’s participating in at the [National Institutes of Health’s] Clinical Center,” Murray said.
She alleged that Kennedy’s “thoughtless mass firing of thousands of critical employees across NIH and HHS” had forced a four-week delay in her constituent’s treatment.
“I can’t tell you that now, Sen. Murray,” Kennedy said in response. “What I can tell you is that if you contact my office tomorrow, I’ll look specifically into that.” Murray deemed his response “not acceptable,” demanding an update within 24 hours. “I want an answer,” she insisted.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Kennedy noted that Murray’s constituent had qualified for the clinical trial “this week,” but cautioned, “we shouldn’t be talking about patients’ private information,” a point Murray agreed with.
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