Virginia Sen. Warner grills RFK Jr. on mass firings and lack of healthcare plan

By Kathleen Lundy

In 13NewsNow

In a tense Senate confirmation hearing, Virginia Senator Mark Warner confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his stance on Medicaid and proposed mass layoffs as the nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS.

Throughout the exchange, Warner repeatedly challenged RFK Jr. on his preparedness for the role, accusing him of offering vague responses and refusing to commit to protecting key federal healthcare programs.

One of Warner’s sharpest critiques centered on Kennedy’s proposal to eliminate thousands of positions at HHS and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. Pressing the nominee on his plans, Warner asked, "You've said publicly you want to immediately get rid of 600 NIH workers. When we had our meeting, you said you actually would like to get rid of 2,200 people from HHS. Which offices are you going to start cutting from?"

RFK Jr. largely avoided specifics, instead pointing to broader staffing changes under previous administrations. Warner pushed further, demanding a direct answer on whether Kennedy would fire federal employees responsible for food safety. "Will you pledge that you will not fire federal employees who work on food safety, work on trying to prevent things like salmonella?"

Kennedy responded, "Senator, there’s 91,000 employees."

Warner shot back, "I'm gonna take that as a no. We actually talked about protecting Americans from cyber criminals, something we need to do a lot more on. Will you commit not to fire anyone in the health arena who currently works on protecting Americans from cyberattacks in their healthcare files?"

Kennedy stated, "I will commit to not firing anybody who's doing their job."

Warner also raised concerns about the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to shrink the federal government, specifically addressing an offer for voluntary buyouts for federal employees.

He cautioned workers to think carefully before accepting such offers, questioning Trump's track record.

"I would say to any federal employees, think twice," Warner said. "Has this individual in his business world ever fulfilled his contracts or obligations to any workers in the past?"

The exchange underscored a fundamental divide over the future of healthcare policy and federal oversight, with Warner portraying Kennedy as unprepared for the role and unwilling to guarantee protections for critical public health initiatives.