RFK Jr. Reminds Dem Rep Pallone of His Big Pharma Ties After Vaccine Policy Attack [WATCH]

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense questioning during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday, as he presented the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services.

The hearing quickly escalated when Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the committee’s ranking member, confronted Kennedy over his department’s vaccine policies, transparency, and decision-making process, accusing him of endangering public health and lacking accountability to Congress.

“Secretary Kennedy, quite frankly, I think you’re trying to defend the indefensible,” Pallone said.

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“There’s no way that this budget or the actions you have taken thus far as secretary are going to make this country healthier.”

He further claimed that Kennedy was promoting conspiracy theories and undermining science-based policies.

“I just really think that people are going to die as a result of your actions and congressional Republicans’ actions,” Pallone added.

Pallone expressed concern about what he described as a lack of transparency from the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically questioning the absence of public comment periods on vaccine-related decisions.

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“You say you want transparency, but there’s been no public process for any of this. Why?” Pallone asked.

Kennedy responded by referencing the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), stating, “We have a public process for regulating vaccines. It’s called the ACIP committee, and it’s a public meeting that we—”

Pallone interrupted, saying, “You fired the committee.”

Kennedy clarified, “I fired people who had conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry. That committee has been a template for medical malpractice for years.”

As Pallone’s time expired, he concluded, “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. And I don’t think I’m ever going to get a response.”

Later in the hearing, Kennedy addressed Pallone’s criticism during an exchange with Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), bringing up past interactions between them.

“Congressman Pallone, 15 years ago, you and I met,” Kennedy said.

“You were, at that time, a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines. You were very adamant about it. You were the leading member of Congress on that issue.”

Kennedy continued, “Since then, you’ve accepted $2 million from pharmaceutical companies and contribution — more than any other member of this committee, and your enthusiasm for supporting the old ACIP Committee, which was completely rife and pervasive with pharmaceutical conflicts, seems to be an outcome of those contributions.”

His remarks prompted immediate objections from Democrats on the panel. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) raised a point of order, stating, “The secretary implied that Mr. Pallone would not fight for vaccine victims because he took money from the pharmaceutical industry. He needs to take back those words.”

Chairman Buddy Carter (R-GA) asked Kennedy to retract the statement.

Kennedy complied and formally withdrew the comment from the record.

HOLY: RFK Jr. ignites Democrat firestorm—calls out Rep. Pallone for flipping on vaccines after $2M in Big Pharma cash contributions.

This is so epic. Wow.

During the HHS budget hearing, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped a WARHEAD on Dem Rep. Frank Pallone, setting the… pic.twitter.com/5eIQzGNBhV

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) June 24, 2025

The exchange marked one of the most contentious moments in the hearing, highlighting ongoing divisions over the Trump administration’s approach to vaccine regulation, pharmaceutical industry influence, and agency accountability.

Full exchange for context:

.@SecKennedy to @FrankPallone: “Fifteen years ago, you and I met. You were at that time a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines…Since then you’ve accepted $2 million dollars from pharmaceutical companies, more than any member of this committee.” pic.twitter.com/GmD2iL9NhD

— CSPAN (@cspan) June 24, 2025

The 2026 HHS budget proposal remains under consideration as committee deliberations continue.

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