January 1, Senator’s Hearing Gaffe Stirs Controversy and Chaos

Senator Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland really put her foot in it during a hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She tried to stump him with some tricky questions, but it didn’t go as planned.

While Kennedy was answering her questions, Alsobrooks got some facts wrong. She claimed portions of the National Institutes of Health — which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, by the way — weren’t under Kennedy’s department. Kennedy had to remind her, “The NIH and the CDC are part of HHS.”

Alsobrooks also tried to say Kennedy didn’t know his own agency, but Kennedy fired back saying it was the other way around. Instead of talking about his department’s budget for 2026, it felt like Kennedy was having to give Congress a lesson on his agency’s structure.

Earlier, when Kennedy was in the House, it was more of the same. He went head-to-head with other Democrats. Rep. Rosa DeLauro accused him of breaking the law by making cuts at HHS. But Kennedy corrected her by explaining how disorganized the department was when he got there. He’s been busy making sure things run smoother, you see. He pointed out that they used to have way too many separate offices, like nine for women’s health alone!

Kennedy wants to streamline things—cut down on the clutter. He’s still funding health programs, just making them efficient. Isn’t that smart government?

The Senate hearing got even wilder when protesters started shouting. Some were even arrested, including Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen. Looks like Kennedy had his hands full that day!

Wyatt Matters!

Senator Angela Alsobrooks seemed to have a tough day during a recent hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She asked him some challenging questions, but things didn’t go quite as she planned. She made a mistake about which parts of the National Institutes of Health are under Kennedy’s department. Kennedy had to gently remind her that the NIH and the CDC are indeed part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It turned out she was mixed up about the facts.

The situation was similar when Kennedy spoke with the House earlier. He had to correct another lawmaker, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, about some accusations she made. She said Kennedy was breaking the law by cutting funds, but Kennedy explained that he made changes to streamline the department. The department was disorganized, with many redundant offices. For instance, there were nine different offices just for women’s health. By trimming down the clutter, he’s working hard to make the agency more efficient while still supporting important health programs.

During the Senate hearing, things were so heated that even protesters got involved, and some, like Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen, were arrested. It was a wild day, but Kennedy handled a lot of challenges. Through it all, he appeared focused on improving the department to serve people better. Streamlining operations and cutting unnecessary clutter sounds like smart work for the government.

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