Posted on 06/24/2025 11:09:30 AM PDT by RandFan
A House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing came to a brief halt Tuesday as the Republican chair asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to retract his accusations that a Democratic member’s stance on vaccines was influenced by campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies.
Kennedy appeared before the subcommittee to defend the Trump administration’s budget request, which includes steep cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, used his time to blast the firings at HHS and the apparent lack of transparency under Kennedy’s tenure so far. He and other Democrats said many of their letters to the HHS have gone unanswered, with Pallone counting 10 of his letters receiving no response.
Pallone said this lack of transparency extended to Kennedy’s changes to the federal vaccine approval process.
“You have made a number of major decisions about vaccines. And … there’s been no public comment process or public accountability on that either. What are you afraid of?” he asked Kennedy.
“I mean, with regard to vaccines, are you just afraid of receiving public comments on proposals where you just think these are fringe views that are contrary to the views of most scientists?”
“The bottom line is here, we have no transparency. We have no response. You feel no responsibility to Congress whatsoever, and you just continue this ideology that’s anti science, anti vaccine. That’s all I see. I see nothing else,” Pallone added.
The questioning then moved on to Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), vice chair of the health committee, who asked Kennedy how he planned to restore public trust in health institutions. With only a brief response to Dunn’s question, Kennedy quickly returned his focus to Pallone’s criticisms.
“Congressman Pallone, 15 years ago, you and I met. You were, at that time, a champion of people who had suffered injuries from vaccines. You were very adamant about it. You were the leading member of Congress on that issue,” said Kennedy.
“Since then, you’ve accepted $2 million from pharmaceutical companies in contributions, more than any other member of this committee,” he continued. “And your enthusiasm for supporting the old [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices], which was completely rife and pervasive with pharmaceutical conflicts, seems to be an outcome of those contributions.”
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), ranking member of the health subcommittee, immediately raised a point order, saying Kennedy was “impugning Mr. Pallone.”
Subcommittee Chair Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) asked that the clock be paused. After a brief back and forth with committee members and staffers, he acknowledged it was a valid point of order and asked Kennedy to retract his remarks about Pallone.
Kennedy retracted his words.
According to OpenSecrets, Pallone has received roughly $2.2 million from the pharmaceutical/health products industry since 1988, when he first joined Congress.
Kennedy was likely referring to Pallone having previously raised concerns in the 90s about the presence of mercury in products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In 1997, Pallone added an amendment to the FDA reauthorization bill at the time that directed the agency to compile a list of foods and drugs that contain “intentionally introduced mercury compounds.” Mercury exposure and poisoning have long been issues of concern for Pallone’s district.
Kennedy and other vaccine skeptics have long pointed to thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative in vaccines, as a potential cause for harm. Though studies have backed the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines, the preservative was removed from almost all childhood vaccines a few decades ago as a precautionary measure due to public uncertainty.
He and other Democrats said many of their letters to the HHS have gone unanswered, with Pallone counting 10 of his letters receiving no response.
Why did he retract?
Nothing is more hateful than telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
That is why “hate speech” terrifies political leaders.
Kennedy was correct AND I recall under Biden none of the GOP members got anything answered from his administration, what goes around comes around.
Wow, you can’t say what is obviously true?
Of course the stance of a Congressman is going to be influenced by his donors. That’s the reason the donor is donating.
The purpose of political donations, especially from large corporate interests like Big Pharma, is to gain influence or favorable policy outcomes. That’s not a conspiracy theory—it’s a core assumption of modern political lobbying. If donations didn’t influence behavior, the donors wouldn’t spend the money.
> Pallone has received roughly $2.2 million from the pharmaceutical/health products industry since 1988 <
“He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
There shouldn’t be much doubt about that.
Oops! I said that wrong!
It should be “He who pays the politician calls the tune.”
That's becase they all get campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies.
Lol, I guess that hit a little too close to home!
They are supposed to go easy on each other, I don’t think they have any such authority over a witness.
His comments were on point. Devastating.
He has clothes on! How dare you claim he doesn’t! /Emperors tailor
Just wondering, during the pause, did they ask the bum to give the money back?
They don’t call witnesses to give opinions or facts… They call witnesses to cheer whatever they want to happen. RFK Junior introduces a factual data point. They immediately demand he retract it. You can’t make this stuff up lol.
Congress critters impugn their interrogatees all the time.
saying Kennedy was “impugning Mr. Pallone.”
So, to the US Senate ... telling the truth about a Senator is now impugning that Senator.
Unreal that ANY Repub allowed this retraction request to stand.
Telling ... as it means they are ALL guilty of the same ... being paid off by BigPharma, etc.
“Subcommittee Chair Buddy Carter (R-Ga.)...asked Kennedy to retract his remarks about Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).”
Earl “Buddy” Carter:
https://thenewamerican.com/freedom-index/legislator/c001103/
Because he's operating on the presumption that he's dealing with other moral and civilized beings.
When you're over the target don't close the bomb bay doors - get more munitions on the way.
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