Two Democratic senators have launched an investigation into whether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. provided false information to Congress regarding the purpose of his 2019 trip to Samoa. The inquiry follows the publication of documents by The Associated Press and The Guardian that appear to contradict Kennedy’s earlier testimony. Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland sent a letter to Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit group formerly chaired by Kennedy, requesting extensive documentation related to the travel, his 2024 presidential campaign, and his Senate confirmation process.
The dispute centers on Kennedy’s statements during his confirmation hearings last year. While Kennedy told senators that his visit to Samoa had 'nothing to do with vaccines,' a letter he wrote to the Samoan prime minister in January 2019 referenced vaccines or vaccination eight times. In that letter, Kennedy discussed studying Samoa’s use of the MMR vaccine and speculated that vaccine lots might have caused deaths in the country. The senators gave Children's Health Defense until Dec. 4 to comply with the document requests.
What the Right Is Saying
The Department of Health and Human Services has maintained that the Samoa visit was 'unrelated to vaccines.' In a response to an AP inquiry in August, the department stated that 'any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory.' Spokespeople for the department and Children's Health Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the new investigation. Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearing, though knowingly giving material false testimony to Congress is a crime that carries a possible prison sentence regardless of oath status.
What the Left Is Saying
Senators Wyden and Alsobrooks stated in their letter that they intend to hold Kennedy accountable for 'the grave harm he has caused to vulnerable children.' They also noted their intent to hold him accountable for 'any false statements made to Congress,' describing such statements as a crime that undermines the Senate's constitutional duties. Wyden is expected to chair the Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services, when Democrats retake Congress in January. Alsobrooks serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which also oversees the department.
What the Numbers Show
The 2019 letter from Kennedy to then-Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi used the words vaccine or vaccination eight times. The letter was written on Children's Health Defense letterhead and expressed a desire to conduct a 'detailed health informatics assessment' regarding adverse health events associated with vaccines. Critics argue that Kennedy’s visit fueled anti-vaccine sentiment in Samoa, which subsequently experienced a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under age 5. Public health experts have stated that efforts to address the outbreak were hampered by anti-vaccine activists, some of whom were emboldened by Kennedy's visit. The senators' letter also requested all communications between the group and federal government officials since President Donald Trump's second term began in January 2025.
The Bottom Line
This investigation is part of a broader array of inquiries planned by Democrats after they regained control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The outcome of the document review may determine whether further action is taken regarding Kennedy's testimony. The senators also announced a separate investigation into hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts reportedly given to Kennedy by a donor and former employee. The deadline for Children's Health Defense to provide the requested documents is Dec. 4.