By Guest Contributor Dr. Sherri Tenpenny
On May 14, 2025, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before two congressional committees. I watched both meetings in full, approximately 5 hours of interrogation.
The first meeting, beginning at 9:30 am EST, was with the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, a committee composed of members from the House of Representatives. In this session, Sec. Kennedy was questioned, often in a scolding and disrespectful tone, about the impact of cuts on programs for low-income assistance and the consolidation of various health offices. Lawmakers lashed out over the potential negative effects on vulnerable populations and public health infrastructure.
The Secretary strongly defended the substantial budget cuts. As he attempted to explain that departmental restructuring was necessary to eliminate redundancy by combining similar departments and reevaluating programs for effectiveness and ROI, he was frequently interrupted, especially by the hostile Democratic members of the committee, who were obviously using this platform for their message rather than for sincere inquiry.
As a result, the Secretary was barely able to present a few facts to support the rationale behind these cuts and how they would streamline the Agency and benefit the American people in the long run.
And then, starting at 1:30 pm EST, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) was convened. The HELP Committee oversees a broad range of federal programs and legislation that significantly impact American life. Its jurisdiction includes:
- Health care and public health, with oversight of HHS and its subagencies, including the CDC, FDA, NIH, and HRSA.
- Education policy, from early childhood through higher education, including supervision of the Department of Education.
- Department of Labor issues such as wages, workplace safety, and union rights.
- Retirement and pension policies and protection laws.
The HELP Committee’s focus was more strategic and ideological, examining the budget numbers in a broader context of the effects of the planned HHS restructuring. Senators questioned the plans to eliminate or downgrade offices that focus on minority health, LGBTQ+ health, women’s health, and environmental health. The hearing also touched on Kennedy’s controversial positions on vaccines and medical freedom.
Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) noted that it was the first time in at least two decades that the Secretary of HHS testified before the HELP Committee regarding a budget proposal. In fact, Secretary Tommy Thompson, who served from 2001 to 2005 under President George W. Bush, was the last HHS secretary to appear before the HELP Committee on presidential budget proposals, ramping up to the Bird Flu pandemic of 2005, extensively discussed in my book, Zero Accountability.
Sec. Kennedy again defended the proposed budget cuts and restructuring plans. He endured and stood firm as he was challenged about the impact these changes could have on public health infrastructure and services. As seen in the previous Committee meeting, most Senators barely allowed him to respond, and most questions required more than a yes/no answer to their self-serving inquiries.
At one point, and out of frustration, Sec. Kennedy said, “You asked me a question. Are you going to let me respond or not?”
The senators did not seem interested in the answers. None appeared happy or even curious about the billions of dollars of waste that were being eliminated by streamlining the redundancy within the agency.
In each of the hearings, members made sure the measles outbreaks were kept on the table and in the news, no doubt to keep their Pharma supporters happy. Keep this in mind the next time they are up for re-election:
- In the House Appropriations hearing, Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI) asked Kennedy if he would vaccinate his children against measles today. [NOTE: He said, “This is not intended to be a ‘gotcha’ question…” but it was clearly a GOTCHA question that he asked repeatedly.]
- In the Senate HELP Committee hearing, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) confronted Secretary Kennedy about his previous statements undermining the measles vaccine. Murphy antagonized Kennedy over his claims that the vaccine’s effectiveness wanes quickly, was never fully tested for safety, and it contains “fetal debris.” Kennedy affirmed these assertions, stating, “All true. All true,” which Murphy contested as “misinformation.” [NOTE: IMO Sen. Murphy should do some homework so he knows what he’s talking about.]
- Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) addressed concerns about the measles outbreak and without allowing Sec. Kennedy to fully answer, she badgered him about his “inconsistency and lack of clarity” to endorse vaccines. [NOTE: She is truly toxic in every hearing I have listened to.]
- The final senator to speak during the session, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), expressed concerns about the ongoing measles outbreak and questioned Secretary Kennedy regarding his stance on vaccinations. Alsobrooks emphasized the importance of clear public health messaging to promote vaccine confidence. [NOTE: Another senator who warns we need to “keep the faith in vaccines.” She needs to read a package insert and not spout pharma mantras about “safe and effective.”]
During the session, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the current Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, had to put is two cents into “the importance of vaccines” – listen:
Once again, Dr. Cassidy was wrong.
If you didn’t catch what he said, here it is:
“…no vaccines have been tested against a placebo. For the record, that’s not true. The rotavirus, measles, and HPV vaccines have been [tested against a placebo] and some vaccines are tested against previous versions. For the record, I wanted to set that straight.”
For the record, Senator Cassidy, here’s the truth that needs to set YOUR comments straight.
In many vaccine trials, the placebo is formulated to match the vaccine’s excipients (like stabilizers, buffers, or adjuvants) without the active component (e.g., live virus strains, inactivated virus). This violates the definition of placebo for safety.
1. Rotavirus vaccines
The two rotavirus vaccines currently on the market, Rotateq and Rotarix, were not tested against a placebo, defined as a biologically inert substance. The “placebo” used in clinical trials for BOTH of these oral vaccines was was the same solution as the actual vaccine, minus the live virus strains. So it was comparing the vaccine against itself for SAFETY.
Rotateq
The New England Journal of Medicine article, Safety and Efficacy of a Pentavalent HumanBovine (WC3) Reassortant Rotavirus Vaccine, (published in 2006) states that the placebo is “visibly indistinguishable” from the vaccine (pg. 25) which includes the following ingredients:
- Sucrose
- Sodium citrate
- Sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate
- Sodium hydroxide
- Polysorbate 80
- Trace VERO cells (monkey kidney)
- Trace fetal bovine serum (from cow blood)
Rotarix
Important note:
It took more than four hours of research using Google, PubMed, the FDA website, ClinicalTrials.gov, and two AI tools (Grok and ChatGPT) to identify the placebo for these two rotavirus vaccines. Rotarix was more straightforward and clearly stated but hard to find; the placebo Rotateq vaccine had to be derived because it was not specifically found in any of those resources.
So, when Senator Cassidy, as a doctor, reads studies such this one from New England Journal of Medicine, (that used the word “placebo” 56 times) or even a Rotateq package insert (that includes the word “placebo” 57 times), he incorrectly ASSUMES it is a truly inert substance used in the control arm of this study – or any study.
2. Measles
According to research posted by activist, writer, and friend, Ginger Taylor:
I can find no record that the Merck measles vaccine was placebo tested before it was released in 1963. Merck reported five years later the MMR was safety tested against another measles vaccine. In addition, there has been no single antigen measles vaccine in the United States since 2004. The only measles vaccine available are Merck’s MMR (released in 1963) or the MMRV combination vaccines (released in 2005).
3. Gardasil
None of the Gardasil trials used a true saline placebo across all participants. In the majority of Gardasil’s pre-licensure clinical trials, the placebo was Merck’s proprietary amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate (AAHS), which contains 225 mcg of aluminum per dose, matching the aluminum content in the vaccine itself.
One Gardasil trial, V501-018, used the vaccine’s carrier solution (L-histidine, polysorbate 80, sodium borate, residual yeast protein) as the placebo, not saline nor AAHS. In one small trial, a control group (594 individuals) in the quadrivalent Gardasil trials received a saline placebo, but then, after about 30 days, was given Gardasil, which disrupted any long-term evaluation of side effects vs. true placebo.
Vaccine History Lesson
So, three for three, Dr./Senator Cassidy, you were wrong.
As the first physician to chair the HELP committee since 1933, when it was known as the Education and Labor Committee, and the loudest pro-vaccine voice on the committee (maybe in all of Congress), at least you should know something about what you are claiming before you try to take a knowledgeable person to task.
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny is a globally recognized leader in exposing vaccine dangers and medical corruption. With over 50,000 hours of research spanning more than 25 years, she was one of the first medical professionals to sound the alarm on vaccine risks, paving the way for many of today’s voices in the medical freedom movement. Her relentless dedication to uncovering the truth behind public health policies, pharmaceutical influence, and vaccine-related injuries has made her one of the most sought-after educators and speakers in the field.
