Yellowhammer Times

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke on the Senate floor to defend Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after Kennedy faced criticism during a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tuberville commended Kennedy for his initiatives aimed at improving public health, including efforts to ban Red Dye No. 3 in foods and encouraging major companies such as Kraft, Nestlé, and Coca-Cola to remove certain ingredients from their products.

During his remarks, Tuberville described the committee hearing as an unfair attack on Kennedy: “Mr. President, what the American people saw last week in the Finance Committee with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not a hearing on oversight. It was a dogpile by politicians who are scared to death of questioning the status quo. It was Washington at its worst, a full-on blitz against one man for the simple crime of telling the truth and refusing to play ball with the swamp.”

Tuberville compared his own experience in coaching to what he observed during the hearing: “Now, I spent 40 years in coaching before I got into this clown show. I know what it looks like when a player gets piled on, I know what it looks like when the referees refuse to call a fair game. And I know what it looks like when the other team tries to run up the score. That’s exactly what we saw last week. A coordinated, Deep State hit job on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

He expressed support for Kennedy’s approach toward health policy: “I have absolutely no idea what my colleagues have against RFK Jr. Surely, they don’t disagree with his efforts to make America healthy again... RFK, after that hearing, is not working for the swamp. He’s fighting for the American people... He’s working for moms and dads across this country and in my state of Alabama who are sick and tired of being lied to by the so-called ‘experts’ in this country.”

Tuberville also addressed criticisms related to vaccine policy: “There’s a lot of misinformation being spread by Democrats about RFK’s position on vaccines... The Department of Health and Human Services is not, and I repeat, not banning vaccines. RFK is simply directing the Department to look into some of the potential long-term effects of anything that we are putting into our bodies.”

He noted actions taken by Kennedy regarding leadership at federal agencies: “He’s also restoring sanity by getting rid of woke bureaucrats at the CDC—an agency that lost the trust of the American people during COVID... according to RFK Jr., he asked the CDC director point blank, ‘Are you a trustworthy person?’ And she said no... if one of my employees had told me that, I would immediately fire them.”

Tuberville criticized previous public health responses during COVID-19: “The so-called health experts failed America... And now, they want to lecture RFK Jr. about science... That’s like a coach who never stepped on the field trying to tell me how to run a football program.”

He pointed out specific regulatory changes under Kennedy's tenure: “Secretary Kennedy has already delivered results. He worked with me and the MAHA caucus to push the FDA to finally, finally ban Red Dye No. 3., a dangerous chemical that was banned from cosmetics... But we left it in our food.” Tuberville added that companies such as Hershey, Kraft, PepsiCo (Pepsi), Steak ‘n Shake, and In-N-Out Burger have changed their ingredients since Kennedy took office.

Addressing broader concerns about chronic disease rates in America compared with other countries despite higher healthcare spending—a theme supported by data from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Tuberville quoted Kennedy saying “‘We are the sickest country in the world.’” He continued: “Despite spending more on healthcare than anybody else, we’re leading in obesity, diabetes, cancer, and mental health problems.”

Tuberville concluded by reaffirming his support for Kennedy's focus on accountability within government agencies and public health institutions: “He’s fighting for accountability, transparency, and for the health and freedom of the American people.”

Senator Tuberville represents Alabama in several Senate committees including Armed Services; Agriculture; Veterans’ Affairs; HELP; and Aging.