Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before a congressional committee on Thursday.

The Senate Finance Committee called Kennedy, a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again.” 

RELATED: RFK Jr. pledges HHS will determine cause of autism by September

Kennedy is facing questions from the committee about layoffs and planned budget cuts that critics say are damaging the nation’s ability to prevent disease.

Kennedy recently fired Susan Monarez, a longtime government scientist he installed as the CDC director for less than a month and has worked to modify the nation’s vaccine policies to match his long-standing theories about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

Kennedy faces heated questions over limits to updated COVID shots

Dig deeper:

The Associated Press reported that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. deflected questions from Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan about recent changes limiting access to COVID-19 shots for healthy children and adults.

In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID shots but only for seniors or younger people with underlying health risks. That caused confusion and frustration from some Americans, including parents interested in vaccinating healthy children against the virus.

Many pharmacies are unwilling or legally prohibited from providing vaccines outside the uses endorsed by the FDA and other federal authorities.

Kennedy said Thursday that drug manufacturers did not provide the FDA with studies showing their vaccines substantially benefited healthy children and adults. Individuals can still get a shot with a prescription from their doctor, Kennedy added.

The AP noted that documents released by the FDA last week show the agency’s top vaccine regulator, a Kennedy ally, overruled his staff in placing limits on COVID vaccines.

While opposed by many U.S. medical groups, the narrower criteria for seasonal shots mirrors many countries in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

Kennedy claims no one knows how many Americans died from COVID. 

Why you should care:

In an exchange with Sen. Mark Warner about how many Americans have died from COVID-19, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed nobody knows because of a lack of government data.

“I don’t think anybody knows that, because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC and there were so many perverse incentives,” Kennedy said.

Approximately 1.2 million Americans have died from the virus, according to both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Worth Health Organization.

Kennedy’s moves as health secretary

The backstory:

In May, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move challenged by medical and public health groups.

Kennedy abruptly dismantled a panel of experts in June who were tasked with advising the government on vaccine policy. 

The Associated Press reported that Kennedy replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine critics and then shut the door to several doctors’ groups that had helped form the committee’s recommendations.