Senators Seek Investigation Into RFK Jr. Over Samoa Vaccine Testimony

Democratic senators are calling for an investigation into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of making false statements to Congress about a 2019 trip to Samoa. The demand follows the publication of letters showing Kennedy explicitly proposed studying vaccines in the Pacific island nation, directly contradicting his repeated testimony during his 2025 confirmation hearings that the visit had "nothing to do with vaccines." The controversy centers on a letter Kennedy sent to Samoa's then-prime minister in January 2019, before his trip. Writing on the letterhead of the antivaccine nonprofit Children's Health Defense, which he led at the time, Kennedy stated he wanted to investigate the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine program following the deaths of two children after vaccination. The letter mentions "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times and proposes his team conduct a "detailed health informatics assessment in Samoa of what happened with your MMR vaccines." This proposal stands in stark contrast to Kennedy's testimony before the Senate in early 2025.