What happened

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced sharp questioning Thursday while testifying before the Senate Finance Committee. He defended his leadership amid turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blamed former CDC Director Susan Monarez for her recent firing and deflected questions about the restricted availability of key vaccines.

Who said what

Kennedy was "remarkably combative and dismissive" during three hours of testimony, "refusing to budge from his stance on vaccines, autism , Medicaid and the CDC," said The New York Times . The hearing was "punctuated with heated back-and-forth exchanges," with Kennedy "effectively getting into shouting matches" with several lawmakers.

The health secretary faced "sharp questioning from bo

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