Kennedy to testify before Senate panel on health agenda

FILE PHOTO: Conference to announce actions on the opioid 7-OH compound at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington

(Reuters) -Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance Committee next week to discuss President Donald Trump’s healthcare agenda, the panel announced on Thursday.

The hearing, scheduled for September 4, comes amid fresh turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Wednesday, the White House dismissed CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure, and three senior officials resigned hours later.

Committee Chairman Mike Crapo in a statement said the panel will focus on “the Department of Health and Human Services’ Make America Healthy Again actions to date and plans moving forward”

Kennedy, however, will likely also face questions on the shakeup, and how recent budgetary changes will affect the agency’s working.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)