U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to emphasize nutrition and food safety during his testimony before Congress on Thursday, according to his prepared statement. The 12-page document submitted ahead of two congressional hearings notably omits topics such as vaccination schedules and autism—a focus area Kennedy has previously addressed in public discourse.
Kennedy will appear before House committees overseeing the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 budget for health programs. He is also scheduled to testify before additional panels next week. A recent court ruling has complicated efforts by the administration to revise vaccine-related policies.
Internal discussions indicate officials have shifted focus toward nutrition and food safety in public communications, as the budget allocates $111 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services—a 12.5% reduction from current funding levels. This includes a $5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health and the elimination of a low-income energy assistance program. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins and other Republicans have criticized these cuts as unnecessary, while Democrats anticipate questioning Kennedy on rising healthcare costs, vaccine confidence, NIH grant cancellations delaying biomedical research, and the federal response to a recent measles outbreak.
In his prepared statement, Kennedy highlights achievements under his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, including efforts in nutrition, food safety, drug pricing, fraud prevention, and limiting children’s access to gender-affirming care. He stated: “We cannot hope to make America great again without first making Americans healthy again. The bedrock of health—the key to reversing the chronic disease epidemic—is nutrition.”
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson named Andrew Nixon noted Kennedy’s statement reflects priorities Americans consistently cite, including chronic disease prevention, childhood nutrition, food quality, and affordable healthcare. Nixon declined to comment on whether Kennedy will discuss vaccines or autism during the hearing or if the White House directed him toward specific policy areas ahead of the November election.
The administration faces pressure to balance its “Make America Healthy Again” messaging with broader public concerns about health policy as healthcare costs become a top voter issue in the upcoming election.
