Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his tenure as the nation’s top health official during a contentious Senate hearing Thursday, snapping back at lawmakers who pressed him on recent upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and changes to vaccine policy.

During roughly three hours of testimony, the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary repeated vaccine misinformation, attacked the CDC, and offered differing explanations on his vision for remaking the agency.

Through shouting matches with lawmakers, Kennedy made clear his work to upend the health establishment isn’t slowing down.

Here are the key takeaways.

Key Republicans question his vaccine moves

Republican senators have largely been deferential to Kennedy, as they have with almost all of President Trump’s Cabinet.

Even as he’s unilaterally changed recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines, cut funding for mRNA research, purged influential members of CDC’s vaccine advisory panel and hinted at major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, Republicans have stood by him.

But there were several signs of cracks on Thursday.

In a surprisingly barbed back-and-forth, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) questioned Kennedy about mRNA vaccines and conflicts of interest among Kennedy's handpicked panel of vaccine advisors.

Cassidy, a physician, was initially reluctant to support Kennedy but ultimately cast the deciding vote for his nomination to advance out of committee after receiving assurances about vaccine policy.

Cassidy said he was approaching his questions “as a doctor, not as a senator.” The exchange marked the strongest pushback and most contentious public exchange between the two since Kennedy’s term began.

Framing his statements as supportive of Trump, Cassidy pressed Kennedy about Trump’s Operation Warp Speed effort in his first term to bring COVID shots to market in record time.

Kennedy, who once called COVID shots the “deadliest vaccine ever made,” struggled to explain the contradiction.

Cassidy also........

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