CA Rep. Bera, Congress’ doctors blast Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance
Sacramento Rep. Ami Bera, a physician who usually talks in measured tones, came out swinging Thursday as he protested what he called the “shameful” actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“You ought to call him into the White House, call him into the Oval Office and tell his ass to get out of there,” Bera, D-Sacramento, told a Capitol Hill rally. Then he caught himself, apologizing for his language. “Sorry about that,” Bera said.
Bera, a former Sacramento County chief medical officer, had a clear message as Kennedy spent his day testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, where he was grilled hard by both Republicans and Democrats.
“He’s done harm. He’s not done any good and he is taking away a patient’s right to choose those vaccinations, to look at credible health information,” Bera said.
“I never would have said this. I would not listen to RFK Jr.’s CDC (Centers for Disease Control) because he’s hollowed it out.”
The congressman also was the top signer of a letter from Congress’ Democratic doctors calling on Kennedy to resign.
“Your actions have not only eroded public trust but have actively endangered lives,” they wrote. “We demand your resignation to safeguard the health and safety of our communities.”
Kennedy fires back
At the Senate Finance Committee hearing, Kennedy reiterated his debunked allegations that vaccines can be harmful. He cited statements from new advisers that COVID vaccines can be ineffective, contradicting years of scientific evidence saying otherwise.
Last week, the White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, who raised concerns about administration policies. Kennedy had dismissed the members of a COVID vaccine committee, cancelled millions of dollars of contracts for COVID vaccine research, and approved COVID shots only for a limited group of people.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, vigorously defended his actions.
“Trust in our public health systems was on its last legs by the end of the Biden administration,” he contended.
“A countless number of policies, panels, grants, and messages were construed for overt political reasons. Since taking office, I have rooted our policymaking in gold standard science, removed divisive ideology from committees and grants, and switched our messaging to plain language straight talk with the American people,” Kennedy said.
Skeptical Republicans
Republicans also expressed concern with Kennedy’s stance.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, read a letter from a physician explaining how people over 65 could no longer get a COVID shot. Cassidy, who chairs the Senate’s health committee, said people were being denied COVID vaccines. Kennedy told him he was incorrect.
Another physician, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming, said “I support vaccines. I’m a doctor. Vaccines work.”
He said that in recent weeks, “I’ve grown deeply concerned. The public has seen measles outbreaks. Leadership in the National Institute of Health questioning the use of mRNA vaccines (which include COVID vaccines). The recently confirmed director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fired. Americans don’t know who to rely on.”
Bera’s plea to Trump
Bera had similar concerns.
The Trump administration, he said, has “dismantled a patient’s ability to see a doctor when they get sick.”
At the CDC, he said, “they’ve taken the gem of public health, the CDC, what the world looks at for guidance on vaccines ... they’ve dismantled it.”
He noted that in his first term, Trump championed the rapid development of the COVID vaccine.
“I don’t normally give compliments to President Trump,” Bera said, but the vaccine development was “a crowning achievement.”
“President Trump, RFK Jr. is dismantling your biggest achievement as president,” Bera said.
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This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 11:02 AM with the headline "CA Rep. Bera, Congress’ doctors blast Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance."
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