Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden on Thursday for serving in office as children suffered a crisis of diseases.
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Wyden accused Kennedy of making children vulnerable during his tenure at HHS. Kennedy responded by accusing Wyden of overseeing a surge in childhood chronic disease during his long tenure in office.
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“This is about kids being pushed in harm’s way by reckless and repeated decisions to get scientists and doctors out of the way and allow conspiracy theories to dictate this country’s health policy,” Wyden said. “I don’t see any evidence that you have any regrets about anything you’ve done or plans to change it … I hope that you will tell the American people how many preventable child deaths are an acceptable sacrifice for enacting an agenda that I think is fundamentally cruel and defies common sense.”
“Senator, you’ve sat in that chair for how long? 20, 25 years, while the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%. And you said nothing! You never asked the question why it’s happening,” Kennedy retorted. “Why is this happening? Today, for the first time in 20 years, we learned that infant mortality has increased in our country. It’s not because I came in here. It’s because of what happened during the Biden administration that we’re going to end.”
The HHS published a report in May, which named ultra-processed foods as one of the leading causes of declining childhood health. The report detailed the federal lobbying endeavors of the chemical-manufacturing industry, noting that they spent about $77 million in 2024.
“The American diet has shifted dramatically toward ultra-processed foods (UPFs), leading to nutrient depletion, increased caloric intakes, and exposure to harmful additives,” the report says. “Nearly 70% of children calories now come from UPFs, contributing to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.”
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