CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – While Senators mostly grilled Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on vaccines and changes at the Centers for Disease Control, Iowa’s Senator focused on rural issues and agriculture.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R) was part of Thursday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing that questioned Kennedy. Most of the headlines focused on Senators sparring with Kennedy over his skepticism of COVID-19 and MRNA vaccines, as well as changes he’s implemented to vaccine policy and the recent firing of the CDC director.
Sen. Grassley did not address any of the CDC or vaccine issues in his 5-minutes of questioning during the hearing. Instead, he opened with praise for Kennedy for moves to support rural hospitals with the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program, arguing the federal government had previously underutilized it.
He then used his time to question Kennedy on keeping the HHS out of farming regulation, saying he had heard from Iowa farmers concerned health agencies would regulate agricultural practices and markets.
“We’ve met with over 140 farm interests over the past 3 months to make sure the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) agenda is consistent with their agenda,” Kennedy responded. “That we are producing the best food in America, that we’re protecting our soils and our soil microbiome and that we’re protecting all kinds of farmers, including those that want to transition to regenerative Agriculture.”
Grassley next pressed Kennedy on drug prices and pushing pharmaceutical companies to publish drug prices in TV ads. Kennedy declined to answer saying he wanted to discuss it “offline”.
Grassley finished by pressing Kennedy to address concerns of “line skipping” in organ donation, citing allegations that groups attempted to harvest organs from patients prematurely.
“We have mounted a major investigation of misconduct of illegal behavior of organ harvesting of living people, of line skipping, of favoritism and all kinds of scandalous behavior inside the Organ Procurment Organizations,” Kennedy answered.
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