RFK Jr. He defends the reduction of a quarter of all the staff of the Department of Health: “When we consolidate them, the Democrats say they eliminate them”

Washington (AP) – Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats questioned the cuts of deep staff, the funding for research and the changes in drastic policies that the U.S. health and human services.Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.In a few months he has made the head of the country’s health department.

Kennedy, who stood in front of the Senate Health Committee later during the day, appeared in an audience of chamber appropriations to defend the requested budget of the White House for his agency. The application includes an increase of $ 500 million for the Kennedy initiative “Make America Healthy Again” to promote healthiest nutrition and lifestyles, as well as deep cuts in the prevention of infectious diseases, the medical health of maternal research, low income heat assistance and preschool programs.

Kennedy describedtheir reductionof the Agency of 1.7 trillion dollars a year, from 82,000 employees to 62,000, as measures to reduce the necessary costs that have reduced redundancies. He argued that he is only consolidating several existing offices working on women’s health, minority health and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

“When we consolidate them, Democrats say they are eliminated,” Kennedy said.

But Democrats argued that part of this consolidation will ultimately affect the work that the federal government is doing to reduce overdose deaths, the study causes of cancer or offer suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+adolescents.

Representative Madeline Dean, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, pressed Kennedy on his plans to close the administration of service abuse and mental health services, a agency that oversees a suicidal national care line, studies North -Americans in their drug use annually and provides funding and guidance for addiction treatment centers. Kennedy plans to fold it in its new administration for North -Americans.

“We call this change and axis,” Dean said about Kennedy’s plans.

Several Republicans also sprayed the worries about the Kennedy approach to work throughout the hearing.

The Chuck Fleischmann representative of Tennesseeartificial food coloringThey are bad for diets. Removing these food coloring would harm the “many refreshments” in their district, including M&S MS Candy manufacturers.

Representative Mike Simpson, an Idaho dentist, said that Kennedy’s planRemoves fluoride recommendationsTo drink water the alarm. The Department’s press release on Tuesday announced that food and drug administration plans to eliminate fluorine supplements for children in the market mistakenly stated that fluoride “kills teeth bacteria,” said Simpson. He told Kennedy that the fluoride does not kill bacteria in the mouth, but rather that the dental enamel is more resistance to decay.

“I will tell you that if you are successful in banning fluorine.

Democrat Bonnie Watson-Coleman in New Jersey asked “why, why,” Kennedy would say goodbye to almost all staff who oversee the low-income home energy assistance program, which provides a heating attendance of $ 4.1 billion to needy families. The program is planned to eliminate the agency’s budget.

Kennedy said that defenders warned him that these cuts would “end up killing people”, but President Donald Trump believes his energy policy will reduce costs. If this does not work, Kennedy said, it would reset the program’s funding.

Kennedy goes to the Senate side, where many eyes will be in a dialogue with the Republican senator Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, who extracted several guarantees from Kennedy on his vaccine approach.

Cassidy, a doctor, raised various worries about Kennedy’s history of promoting conspiracy or damage theories about vaccines, said duringA confirmation audienceEarlier this year.

“Can I trust that this is now in the past?” Cassidy asked Kennedy at that time.

Kennedy has delivered since thenA mixed messageon vaccines that public health experts have said they are hindering efforts to containA measles outbreakNow in at least 11 states. He has offered guarantees of vaccination, but has continued to ask questions about his effectiveness or safety. He has said that the children’s vaccine calendar will be examinedA study of the causes of autism. It is called the measles vaccine, the screens and the rubella, a trait that is given to the children to provide immunity of the three diseases: “fleeting”Offers life protectionof the measles for most people. It is also calledThey cause deathAlthough none have been documented between healthy people.

The agency has also made movements that support the anti-vacuna movement. He hired a man who has published research that suggests that vaccines cause development delays to monitor a study of autism. And has finished some investigations andPublic Health FundDedicated to vaccines.

Kennedy, who has rejected the anti-vacuna label, has said that it is “pro-security” and wants more vaccine research, although decades of real world use and research have concluded that they avoid fatal diseases in children.

“Its long defense has always focused on ensuring that vaccines and other medical interventions meet the highest standards of safety and support itself in standard gold sciences,” said health and human services in a statement. “As he did during confirmation, Secretary Kennedy is ready to address questions about this.”

This story originally presented to Fortune.com

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