Kaine emphasized that legally the name of this department is the Department of Defense, questioning Vought's use of the term Department of War, which was introduced by Trump.
The men tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda were made to watch a video of the shooting death of Alex Pretti in a slow, moment-by-moment analysis on Thursday by Sen. Rand Paul, who repeatedly cast doubt on the tactics used by federal officers and warned that the American public had lost trust in the country's immigration agencies.
During a contentious Senate hearing, Marco Rubio received pointed questions from Democrats about the administration's international thuggery. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq, pushed the Secretary on military operations inside of Venezuela. Faced with limited time, Duckworth interrupted Rubio when he tried to deflect or pontificate. That's usually how it works: senators try to steer adversarial witnesses towards specific subjects.
Attorney General Pam Bondi responded with a deafening silence when asked about whether the FBI found compromising photos of Donald Trump in Jeffrey Epstein's safe. During an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Bondi attempted to evade the question from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), but he asked it again and made clear he was simply asking her to respond with a simple "yes" or "no."
Let me just conclude by saying right now, millions of Americans are wondering what is happening in Washington, D.C., and watching this hearing where the chairman is trying to muzzle a ranking member who is simply calling attention to the facts of the ACA, and the real-life stories of peopleindicates to me we need to shine a light on what this effort is to repeal the ACA and we need to stand strong in favor of affordable health insurance in the United States.
There were Republicans who offered broad support for Kennedy. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Ida.) said, "President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have made a steadfast commitment to make America healthy again." Yet some Republicans notably did push Kennedy on how his long-standing opposition to vaccine mandates is affecting policy, and on Kennedy's doubts about the safety of various vaccines. Sen. John Barasso (R-Wyo.) said, "There are real concerns that safe, proven vaccines like measles, like hepatitis B and others, could be in jeopardy."
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remained combative during an extraordinary Senate Finance Committee hearing on September 4 as Democrats grilled him about creating "chaos" at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the committee's ranking Democrat, said Kennedy fired career scientists at the CDC and replaced them with "cranks" and "conspiracy theorists" who promote mistrust in basic public health principles.
WARREN: Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 presidential election? MIRAN: Thank you, Senator Warren. Joe Biden was certified by Congress as the president of the United States. WARREN: Right, so did Donald Trump lose that election? MIRAN: Um, as I just said, Joe Biden was WARREN: Did Donald Trump lose that election? Can you say the words, Donald Trump lost that election? Are you independent enough to say that. MIRAN: The Congress certified Joe Biden. WARREN: Wooo, all right. So, that was one.
Mr Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure. Mr Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired. He also criticised CDC recommendations during the Covid pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed - wrongly - that they "failed to do anything about the disease itself".
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert. F. Kennedy, Jr. will face intense questioning before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday morning. His appearance comes nearly one week after he forced the ouster of Susan Monarez, the director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, after the two clashed over vaccine policy. Several top officials at the CDC also resigned following her firing, leaving the nation's most powerful public health agency in crisis.
Sen. Cory Booker accused Republicans of rushing the vote on Emil Bove's nomination and ignoring established rules of the committee. He expressed his concerns about the nomination process and the integrity of the committee, highlighting Bove's alleged misconduct.
Sen. Maria Cantwell emphasized the importance of improving communication systems and science to better prepare for future natural disasters, particularly in light of recent tragedies.
In his opening remarks, Senator Scott emphasized that more illegal activities occur with cash than with crypto, suggesting that cash carries greater risks for illicit finance.
"Instead of exercising this constitutional oversight duty, my Republican colleagues are holding this hearing. Apparently, armchair diagnosing former President Biden is more important than the issues of grave concern."
"You've signed a contract with a company to reconfigure the aircraft. What is the price of that contract?" - Sen. Jack Reed interrogating Hegseth in Senate hearing.
If you look at the data, the concerns are in plain sight; IPRs have a 68% defect rate; if the American patent system was a factory, 68% of the products we put out are found defective in a later proceeding.
You are blocking billions in funding that Congress appropriated... We know you are dismantling HHS and throwing away generations of investments in our health care system.
