Possibly some males are simply too emotional to be in politics.
On Tuesday, Secretary of Health and Human Providers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bought so enraged throughout a Senate listening to {that a} fellow Republican needed to intervene like an grownup making an attempt to quell a toddler’s huge emotions.
The second occurred after Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) slammed Kennedy for drastic staffing and funding cuts at his division as a part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to scale back the scale of the federal authorities. After describing a few of these cuts as “illegal,” she proceeded to name out Kennedy’s incompetence by saying his earlier committee testimony left her “pretty confused and concerned” about what is definitely occurring at HHS.
Tasos Katopodis through Getty Pictures
“You repeatedly claimed staffing and funding cuts that have been reported on publicly — and even confirmed by your department staff — are not happening,” Murray stated. “So either you are lying or you’re not the one making the decisions.”
She then requested him a reasonably simple query on little one care subsidies for low-income working households:
“Secretary Kennedy, whose decision was it to withhold child care and development block grant funding?”
In response to Murray’s query, Kennedy — who’s finest identified for peddling debunked conspiracy theories about vaccines — busted out the basic MAGA tactic of criticizing former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Totally conscious that Kennedy was deflecting, Murray injected just a few instances in an try to get him again on monitor, however Kennedy finally snapped.
“I want to point out something, Senator, you’ve presided here, I think, for 32 years. You’ve presided over the destruction of the health of the American people,” he stated, elevating his voice.
“Seriously?” Murray stated as Kennedy continued his rant.
JIM WATSON through Getty Pictures
“Our people are now the sickest people in the world because you have not done your job!” he exclaimed.
“Mr. Secretary, seriously,” Murray stated. However Kennedy stored up the finger-pointing.
“What have you done about it? What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?” he shouted. “What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?”
That’s when a fellow Republican determined she had had sufficient of this nonsense.
“Mr. Secretary, I would ask you to hold back and let the senator ask the questions,” stated Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va), the chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee the place Kennedy was testifying.
After that hullabaloo, Murray calmly requested her query once more on whose determination it was to withhold little one care funding, and lo and behold, Kennedy’s reply was fairly fundamental.
“That was made by my department,” Kennedy stated.
When a clip of Murray and Kennedy’s verbal sparring match made it onto X, previously Twitter, left-leaning customers have been unimpressed by HHS secretary.
“RFK Jr. fell apart faster than a dollar store lawn chair at a Fourth of July barbecue,” one X user wrote. “If answering a basic childcare question sends him into verbal vapor lock, maybe he’s better suited for a wellness podcast on dial-up radio.”
“RFK Jr unwound faster than an alibi about a lost Las Vegas weekend,” another user joked.
“RFK Jr.’s meltdown over a basic childcare question shows he’s unfit for leadership,” said another user. “If he can’t handle Senate scrutiny, how can he manage national health crises? His deflection tactics are a disgrace.”
Kennedy’s time as health secretary has been far from impressive.
Throughout testimony earlier than a Home subcommittee final week, Kennedy refused to reply questions in regards to the security and effectiveness of main forms of vaccines earlier than uttering one of the most terrifying things the nation’s top health official could say.
“I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” he said.
Murray, unlike Kennedy, has no trouble clearly expressing her views and did so with a post on X Tuesday after their intense interaction.
“RFK Jr. is a shameless liar and, candidly, an insane conspiracy theorist,” Murray wrote Tuesday. “He’s fired the people who monitor bird flu. He’s fired food safety inspectors. He’s firing NIH clinical staff—and he’s cutting cancer research. This grifter is making America LESS healthy & LESS safe.”
