WASHINGTON: US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. faced tough grilling from the Senate Finance Committee over his decision to fire Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Director Susan Monarez and his views on vaccines.
In the three-hour-long hearing held on Thursday, Kennedy faced bipartisan fury -- with many Republican lawmakers joining hands with Democrats to target him.
On the firing of CDC Director Monarez last week, Kennedy said that she was untrustworthy.
Monarez wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday accusing Kennedy of making a "deliberate effort to weaken America's public-health system and vaccine protections".
Kennedy rejected those allegations.
"By the way, a month ago, you were voting against her because you thought she was either incompetent, ineligible, or unsuited to the task. Now I agree with you, " the US Health Secretary told Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.
On Covid-19 vaccines, Warren also accused Kennedy of restricting access to the booster shot.
Kennedy shot back, saying, "It's not recommended for healthy people."
Democratic Senator Mark Warner asked Kennedy whether he agreed that "a million Americans died from Covid", Kennedy Jr. responded: "I don't know how many died."
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy also challenged Kennedy, noting that his constituents are struggling to access Covid-19 booster shots amid confusion created by the revised guidelines.