U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to focus on nutrition and food safety during his appearance before lawmakers on Thursday, according to his prepared testimony.
The 12-page document, submitted ahead of two congressional hearings, does not address topics such as vaccination schedules or autism, which Kennedy has discussed in the past.
Kennedy is scheduled to testify before two House of Representatives panels regarding the health portion of the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 budget. He is also expected to appear before additional House and Senate panels next week.
A court ruling last month affected parts of the administration’s efforts to revise vaccine-related policies.
According to individuals familiar with internal discussions, administration officials have recently emphasized policy areas such as nutrition and food safety in public messaging.
The budget requests $111 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, a 12.5% cut from current levels, including a $5 billion reduction to the National Institutes of Health and the elimination of a low-income energy assistance program. Several key Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, have criticized the cuts as unnecessary.
Democrats are expected to question Kennedy on issues including rising healthcare costs, public confidence in vaccines, NIH grant cancellations that have delayed biomedical research, and the federal response to a recent measles outbreak.
A copy of Kennedy's prepared statement emphasizes achievements under his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative and other administration priorities, including efforts on nutrition, food safety, drug prices, fraud prevention, and reducing children's access to gender-affirming care.
"We cannot hope to make America great again without first making Americans healthy again," he plans to say. "The bedrock of health — the key to reversing the chronic disease epidemic — is nutrition."
"Secretary Kennedy speaks about a broad range of issues that affect the health and well-being of American families, and his statement reflects the priorities Americans consistently say matter most to them, from chronic disease prevention, childhood nutrition, food quality, and affordable health care," said Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon when asked about the omission.
Nixon did not address whether Kennedy plans to discuss vaccines or autism during the hearing, or whether the White House had asked him to focus on specific policy areas ahead of the election.
The Trump administration faces competing priorities, including maintaining support among "Make America Healthy Again" supporters while also addressing broader public opinion on health policy issues.
Kennedy has previously expressed views on vaccine policy, including proposals to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines, changes to a CDC advisory panel of vaccine experts, and efforts to identify potential causes of autism.
Some of Kennedy’s statements on vaccines and autism differ from the conclusions of many public health organizations and scientific studies.
Pollsters and strategists expect healthcare costs to be a primary issue for voters this November.
Reuters contributed to this report
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.