Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. let loose on Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray on Tuesday after she hurled accusations at him for several minutes.
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Murray accused Kennedy of unlawfully stripping funding for HHS initiatives. After sitting quietly while the senator lambasted him, he snapped, accusing her of overseeing a massive decline in the country’s health outcomes.
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“I want to point out something, senator. You presided here, I think, for 32 years. You presided over the destruction of the health of the American people,” Kennedy said. “Our people are now the sickest people in the world because you have not done your job. What have you done about it? What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease? What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?”
President Donald Trump and Kennedy have pledged to “Make America Healthy Again” and address various health issues, such as getting Americans to increase their intake of more healthful food and reduce obesity.
Immediately after the Senate confirmed Kennedy as HHS Secretary in February, the White House announced the creation of the Make America Healthy Again Commission in a press release. The Commission is tasked with addressing America’s chronic disease epidemic and ending childhood chronic illness.
“American life expectancy significantly lags behind other developed countries, with pre‑COVID-19 United States life expectancy averaging 78.8 years and comparable countries averaging 82.6 years. This equates to 1.25 billion fewer life years for the United States population,” the press release read. The release also noted that six out of ten Americans have at least one chronic disease and four out of ten have at least two.
Healthcare spending in the U.S. surged 7.5% in 2023, hitting nearly $5 trillion, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Health spending also made up 17.6% of America’s gross domestic product in 2023.
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