HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. completed a week-long tour of House and Senate committees this week, defending his controversial positions on vaccines while promoting President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the department.
During the hearings, Kennedy faced scrutiny over his past statements and policies related to vaccines, which have drawn significant criticism from public health experts and lawmakers alike.
In a separate development, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to facilitate the use of hallucinogens, including psilocybin and MDMA, for treating mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression. The order aims to streamline research and access to these therapies, marking a significant shift in federal policy.
Victoria Knight of Bloomberg Government, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times joined KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more on the latest episode of the “What the Health?” podcast.
This week’s episode also featured an interview with Harvard public health professor David Blumenthal as part of KFF Health News’ ongoing “How Would You Fix It?” series, exploring potential solutions to pressing health policy challenges.
About KFF Health News: KFF Health News is a national newsroom dedicated to producing in-depth journalism on critical health issues. It operates as one of the core programs under KFF, an independent organization focused on health policy research, polling, and journalism. For more information, visit KFF Health News.
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