Angry protesters disrupted a Tuesday hearing on Capitol Hill during which Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified about how the agency’s 2026 budget aligns with President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Kennedy did not even finish his opening statement when multiple protesters disrupted his testimony, yelling that the HHS secretary is killing people ‘with hate.’
‘RFK kills people with hate!’ a protester blurted out, startling Kennedy, who quickly turned behind him to see where the commotion was coming from. ‘RFK kills people with hate!’ the chant continued, with more voices joining in. ‘RFK kills people with hate!’
Multiple people were eventually escorted out of the room, during which the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., paused the hearing.
‘Members of the audience are reminded disruptions will not be permitted while the committee conducts its business. Capitol Police are asked to remove the individuals from the hearing room,’ Cassidy said amid the commotion.
‘That was a made-for-C-SPAN moment,’ Cassidy quipped after things settled down.
The Wednesday hearing with the Senate HELP Committee came a few weeks after HHS released its budget for fiscal year 2026. Kennedy was testifying to share how the budget aligns with Trump’s priorities.
‘When my team and I took the helm at HHS we set out with clear goals,’ Kennedy said shortly before he was interrupted.
‘First, we aim to make America healthy again with a special focus on the chronic disease epidemic. Second, we committed to delivering more efficient, responsive, and effective service to over 100 million Americans who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other programs. Third, we focus on achieving these goals by cutting costs for taxpayers and intend to do more – a lot more – with less.’