Democratic Rep Skewers RFK Jr For Spending Taxpayer Money To ‘Drink Milk Shirtless’ With Kid Rock

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) confronted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Thursday about the skyrocketing cases of measles in the U.S. since he took office.

Sanchez began by getting Kennedy to agree that the measles vaccine could have saved the life of an unvaccinated six-year-old — “the first such death in a decade.”

“It’s possible, certainly,” Kennedy replied.

Sanchez then rattled off some damning statistics.

“In 2024, under the Biden administration, there were 258 cases of measles,” Sanchez said. “And in 2025, under your leadership at HHS, it ballooned to over 2,000. That’s s a 675% increase. And we are now on track to surpass that this year with over 1,600 confirmed cases in three-and-a-half months. If we project those numbers out for all of 2026, we can expect a whopping 6,400 cases of measles. That’s a 2,380%  increase in a preventable disease. CDC data shows about 80% of children who died from flu this season were not vaccinated. The anti-vaccine rhetoric you ran on and the anti-vaccine actions you have taken over the last year clearly correlates with the dramatic increases, again, in preventable diseases.”

Sanchez continued:

SANCHEZ: I was appalled to learn the CDC suspended public-health messaging on vaccines last February. It ended a successful flu vaccine campaign, as well. My question is, did President [Donald] Trump approve your decision to end CDC’s pro-vaccine public messaging campaign?

KENNEDY:  You’ve got a lot of misinformation, first of all —

SANCHEZ:  No, I’m asking you a question. I’d appreciate a response —

KENNEDY: Let me respond to the misstatements you’ve made.

SANCHEZ: No, you have other opportunities. I have limited time. Answer my question. Is president trump — Did President Trump approve your decision to end the CDC’s pro-vaccine public messaging?

KENNEDY: Allow me to answer, to respond to a lot of the misinformation.

SANCHEZ: No, answer my question please, sir, I have limited time.

KENNEDY: There’s a global measles epidemic. We’ve done better than any country in the world —

SANCHEZ: There’s no country that has seen a bigger percentage increase —

KENNEDY: That’s not true! Mexico has three times measles, they have one-eighth the population.

The two continued talking over one another, then Sanchez added, “I think you don’t want to answer the question because I think you know you are making terrible decisions that impact very real lives, especially the lives of children.”

“One thing I find incredible is that you suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you are spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock and somehow you think that’s a better public health message than informing the public about the importance of vaccines? Really?” Sanchez asked as her time expired.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!