Dem Senator Tries To Trip Up RFK Jr. At Hearing. It Ends Very Poorly For Her.

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) tried to trip up Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his testimony on Wednesday, but instead exposed herself to be wildly unfamiliar with Kennedy’s department.

While Kennedy was trying to respond to Alsobrooks’ confusing questions about his sprawling department, she suggested to the secretary that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is not part of his department, which, of course, is false, since HHS does oversee NIH.

“It’s assistive reproductive technology, it’s a division. Do you know what it does?” Alsobrooks asked Kennedy.

The secretary asked what she’s specifically talking about is part of NIH, since, when he took over as secretary, there were dozens of offices for reproductive health, which Kennedy is in the process of organizing and consolidating.

“No, it’s actually part of your agency,” Alsobrooks responded.

“NIH is part of my agency,” RFK shot back. “Senator, you should know that.”

“I do know that,” the senator suggested. “It’s actually, the CDC is where is it.”

Astonishingly, Alsobrooks then told RFK that he was “unfamiliar with the programs” in his department.

“You’re unfamiliar with my agency,” a fiery Kennedy reacted. “The NIH and the CDC are part of HHS.”

WATCH:

This sums up today for you.

RFK Jr was supposed to be answering questions about his 2026 proposed budget. Instead, he was giving Congress a lesson on his agency.

Kennedy: “Is it part of NIH?”

Senator: “No, it’s actually part of your agency.”

Kennedy: “NIH is part of my… pic.twitter.com/8sT6IzX8o9

— Anna Matson (@AnnaRMatson) May 14, 2025

As highlighted by The Daily Wire, Kennedy sparred with a number of Democrats during his testimony before the House committee on appropriations before his hearing with the Senate.

Kennedy defended cuts made to HHS and called out Democrats for echoing party talking points and engaging in what he viewed as the politicization of public health.

In one instance, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) accused Kennedy of potentially breaking the law and putting Americans’ health at risk over cuts he’s made at HHS. The secretary shot back by describing the “absolute cataclysmic disorganization” of the department when he took it over, which he said was under her oversight for decades.

“We had nine separate offices of women’s health,” RFK explained. “When we consolidate them, Democrats say that we’re eliminating them. We’re not, we’re still appropriating the $3.7 billion, but we’re not keeping all nine. We had eight separate offices for minority health, we eliminated one. We had 27 HIV offices, we had 59 behavioral health programs.”

Moreover, during his testimony before the Senate Health Committee, several protesters were tackled and arrested by Capitol Police for screaming and interrupting Kennedy’s opening statement. Among those arrested was Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen.

Related: Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested For Stunt During RFK Testimony