Selena Simmons-Duffin

And that's certainly connected to the Doge effort to shrink government. But Kennedy is also trying to fundamentally reshape the mission of HHS and reorient it to his priorities.

And that's certainly connected to the Doge effort to shrink government. But Kennedy is also trying to fundamentally reshape the mission of HHS and reorient it to his priorities.

And that's certainly connected to the Doge effort to shrink government. But Kennedy is also trying to fundamentally reshape the mission of HHS and reorient it to his priorities.

Yeah, he calls it a chronic disease epidemic. He even ties the size of HHS in terms of staff and budget with what he describes as the worsening health of the American population. As a reminder, HHS is the health umbrella agency, so it oversees CDC, the FDA, Medicaid and Medicare, the NIH. In April, Kennedy fired 10,000 staff members, eliminating whole centers and divisions across the department.

Yeah, he calls it a chronic disease epidemic. He even ties the size of HHS in terms of staff and budget with what he describes as the worsening health of the American population. As a reminder, HHS is the health umbrella agency, so it oversees CDC, the FDA, Medicaid and Medicare, the NIH. In April, Kennedy fired 10,000 staff members, eliminating whole centers and divisions across the department.

Yeah, he calls it a chronic disease epidemic. He even ties the size of HHS in terms of staff and budget with what he describes as the worsening health of the American population. As a reminder, HHS is the health umbrella agency, so it oversees CDC, the FDA, Medicaid and Medicare, the NIH. In April, Kennedy fired 10,000 staff members, eliminating whole centers and divisions across the department.

Here he is on NewsNation earlier this month defending those moves.

Here he is on NewsNation earlier this month defending those moves.

Here he is on NewsNation earlier this month defending those moves.

I should say the rollout of these firings has been chaotic and Kennedy has not seemed to be terribly familiar with what and who have been cut and what remains. He said the speed of the firings was necessary to not lose, quote, political momentum.

I should say the rollout of these firings has been chaotic and Kennedy has not seemed to be terribly familiar with what and who have been cut and what remains. He said the speed of the firings was necessary to not lose, quote, political momentum.

I should say the rollout of these firings has been chaotic and Kennedy has not seemed to be terribly familiar with what and who have been cut and what remains. He said the speed of the firings was necessary to not lose, quote, political momentum.

Well, definitely there'll be questions about the overhaul. As I said, whole centers at CDC were eliminated, including violence prevention, reproductive health, workplace safety, including services for coal miners with black lung. At FDA, food safety labs were hit. Some routine inspections have been delayed or canceled.

Well, definitely there'll be questions about the overhaul. As I said, whole centers at CDC were eliminated, including violence prevention, reproductive health, workplace safety, including services for coal miners with black lung. At FDA, food safety labs were hit. Some routine inspections have been delayed or canceled.

Well, definitely there'll be questions about the overhaul. As I said, whole centers at CDC were eliminated, including violence prevention, reproductive health, workplace safety, including services for coal miners with black lung. At FDA, food safety labs were hit. Some routine inspections have been delayed or canceled.

And even though the overhaul was billed as being about administrative redundancies, many core functions of the agency, including those required by Congress, are now in limbo. And lawmakers may have a lot of questions about that. There are other big questions, too, like measles in West Texas is still a big problem. There are growing concerns about bird flu.

And even though the overhaul was billed as being about administrative redundancies, many core functions of the agency, including those required by Congress, are now in limbo. And lawmakers may have a lot of questions about that. There are other big questions, too, like measles in West Texas is still a big problem. There are growing concerns about bird flu.

And even though the overhaul was billed as being about administrative redundancies, many core functions of the agency, including those required by Congress, are now in limbo. And lawmakers may have a lot of questions about that. There are other big questions, too, like measles in West Texas is still a big problem. There are growing concerns about bird flu.

Kennedy's approach to autism, I'm sure, will be asked about. And the cuts to biomedical research will definitely come up as well. This isn't just shrinking the staff and budget of the National Institutes of Health. It's also slashing funding to universities. And that research can be an economic driver in communities all over the country, including in red states like Alabama.

Kennedy's approach to autism, I'm sure, will be asked about. And the cuts to biomedical research will definitely come up as well. This isn't just shrinking the staff and budget of the National Institutes of Health. It's also slashing funding to universities. And that research can be an economic driver in communities all over the country, including in red states like Alabama.