By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify before Congress on Wednesday for the first time since taking the role of U.S. health secretary, and will face questions over the firing of thousands of health agency employees and a fast-growing measles outbreak. Kennedy will testify before both the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on his department's proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Since he was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services in February, Kennedy has slashed jobs at the nation's top food and drugs regulator, public health agency and biomedical research institute, part of the Trump administration's campaign to shrink the federal workforce. Kennedy says his top priorities as health secretary include identifying the environmental contributors to autism and tackling rising rates of chronic disease. Kennedy, who for years has sown doubt over the safety and efficacy of vaccines, has also drawn condemnation from health officials for what they say is a weak endorsement of measles shots during an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000, mostly unvaccinated, people and killed three. His confirmation partially hinged on the vote of HELP Committee Republican Chair Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor from Louisiana who had expressed wariness about Kennedy's history of anti-vaccine views before clearing the path for his appointment. Cassidy said at the time he ultimately supported the nomination because Kennedy assured him he would protect vaccine access and promised cooperation with his committee. Cassidy had called on Kennedy to appear before the committee in early April to explain plans to restructure HHS and lay off 10,000 workers. The hearing on Wednesday is billed as a session on Kennedy's health-related spending plans under President Donald Trump's budget proposal. The plans include an $18 billion cut to National Institutes of Health funding and $3.6 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "People instinctively fear change, even when it's from worse to better. But without a clearly defined plan or objective, people will assume the worst," Cassidy will tell Kennedy at the hearing, according to prepared remarks shared by his office. "Much of the conversation around HHS' agenda has been set by anonymous sources in the media and individuals with a bias against the president," Cassidy will say. "Americans need direct reassurance from the administration, from you Mr. Secretary, that its reforms will make their lives easier, not harder." Kennedy will be sharing updates on his efforts to eliminate redundancies and improve efficiency at HHS, as well as tackle chronic disease, a department spokesperson said. In the past week, Kennedy has faced attacks on social media from influential far-right activist Laura Loomer, whose critiques of some other Trump administration officials have preceded their ouster. Kennedy also drew scrutiny for his own photos on social media showing him swimming with his grandchildren in Washington's Rock Creek. The National Park Service prohibits swimming in Rock Creek because it contains dangerously high bacteria levels. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Bill Berkrot)
