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Rep. Dingell presses RFK Jr. on vaccine policy amid Michigan measles outbreak
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, grilled Department of Homeland Security Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday, April 21.
RFK Jr. faced questioning from legislators on Capitol Hill, his sixth appearance in the past week, according to NPR.
Democrats wanted answers from him on making deals with pharmaceutical companies public, the costs of recent promotional videos, vaccines and more.
Dingell had five minutes to detail her concern about the leadership at DHS and the White House. She honed in on concerns about Michigan’s recent measles cases and a nursing home staffing rule.
“America is grappling with an unprecedented destruction, a destruction of our public health infrastructure,” Dingell stated during the April 21 hearing.
Kennedy made sudden changes to the childhood vaccine schedule in January 2026.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Dingell grilled Kennedy about measles outbreaks. Michigan confirmed eight measles cases reported by early April and another case was confirmed this week in Ottawa County.
“I had seven cases just in the last couple of weeks in my county,” Dingell said. “The contagious spots have been in grocery stores, colleges, you can’t stop it.
“I’ve met with families, and I said, ‘Why didn’t you get immunized?’ And they said, ‘We’re listening to our government. Our government tells us not to.’ You may think you’re pro-vaccine, but people aren’t hearing that.”
Kennedy said the measles cases in Michigan aren’t unique.
“We eliminated it. Europe has eliminated it. Canada. Now guess what? Canada has lost its elimination status,” Kennedy told Dingell. “England has lost its elimination status. All across Europe, they’ve lost their elimination status. It has nothing to do with me. It has to do that we have a global epidemic.”
Dingell also referred to Kennedy’s agency rescinding a rule that implemented a minimum staff standard in nursing homes. It will now not be implemented until 2035.
“This rule would have saved lives, improved care, and strengthened the nursing home workforce,” Dingell said. “You have to have a standard that there are enough people to take care of those in nursing homes.”