Senators Ask RFK Jr. Who’s in Charge of Cuts: Him or DOGE?

“Either you’re lying or you’re not the one making the decisions,” Sen. Patty Murray said.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before a Senate committee.
John McDonnell/AP

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appearance before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday was dominated by one question: Who, exactly, is directing the sweeping cuts to the nation’s federal health research and infrastructure?

“Is it DOGE?” ranking member Sen. Tammy Baldwin asked bluntly.

Kennedy didn’t give a clear answer. And when asked by Sen. Dick Durbin about cuts to tobacco regulation personnel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, Kennedy said he “didn’t know about those cuts.”