'Which is it?' RFK Jr. waffles on cuts to lead poisoning prevention efforts

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified earlier nan Senate Appropriations Committee connected Tuesday, May 20 successful Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

"We person a squad successful Milwaukee," Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified to senators successful a hearing connected Tuesday.

He was speaking astir a lead vulnerability crisis successful nan nationalist schools there. The metropolis wellness section had requested support from experts astatine nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reside it. "We're giving laboratory support to nan analytics successful Milwaukee and we're moving pinch nan wellness section successful Milwaukee," Kennedy added.

But Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, from Wisconsin, had a different story. "There are nary unit connected nan crushed deployed to Milwaukee to reside nan lead vulnerability of children successful schools," she said. Six schools successful nan metropolis person had to adjacent because of lead, she said, displacing 1,800 students.

So is location a squad of national lead experts successful Milwaukee aliases not?

"There is nary squad successful Milwaukee," Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis tells NPR. "We had a azygous [federal] unit personification travel to Milwaukee for a little play to thief validate a machine, but that was abstracted from nan general petition that we had for a mini squad to really travel to Milwaukee for our Milwaukee Public Schools investigation and ongoing support there."

Totoraitis says Secretary Kennedy whitethorn person been misinformed.

The contradictions astir this programme that were connected show connected Capitol Hill Tuesday are emblematic of Kennedy's attack to nan wellness agencies. He speaks passionately astir nan wellness of children and nan threats of biology toxins to Americans' health, but he's struggled to explicate circumstantial actions his agency has taken to downsize and restructure moreover successful those areas that he says are his priority.

Fired staff, but nan program's 'continuing'

Lead is simply a neurotoxin that is communal successful older buildings, particularly successful overgarment and pipes. It tin origin developmental problems successful children.

On April 1, nan unit of nan CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program was fired arsenic part of nan agency's simplification successful force. The programme included epidemiologists, statisticians and advisors who specialized successful lead poisoning — from detecting nan root of vulnerability to readying an effective response.

At an arena a fewer days aft that, an ABC News reporter asked Kennedy astir that lead squad being cut. "There were immoderate programs that were cuts that are being reinstated. I judge that that's 1 of those," he said.

Not so, CDC unit that had worked connected that squad told NPR, arsenic nary of them had heard thing astir being reinstated. Kennedy's ain communications unit astatine HHS besides told ABC, "The unit for that existent division, of really it exists now, are not being reinstated. The activity will proceed elsewhere astatine HHS."

Last week successful a congressional fund hearing, Kennedy was asked astir nan cuts by Baldwin. "Do you intend to destruct this branch astatine CDC?" she asked.

Kennedy responded, "No, we do not." He besides said he thought lead poisoning successful children was an "extremely important concern."

On Tuesday, Kennedy appeared earlier a different Senate committee, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked Kennedy to explain what was going on. "As acold arsenic we tin tell, unit has not yet been hired, and I've seen nary statements reversing your determination to destruct nan program." 

So, Reed said, "Which is it?"

Kennedy responded: "We are continuing to money nan program." He later added, "my knowing is that programme is continuing," and he offered to talk to Reed aft nan proceeding to "find retired what nan specifications are."

NPR asked HHS whether immoderate of nan firings for nan CDC unit that had worked connected that squad had been revoked. In a statement, HHS responded: "As HHS finalizes its elaborate reorganization plans, nan Department will beryllium looking into each strategical programs and priorities for nan Secretary and nan nation. The activity of this programme will continue."

HHS did not reply a follow-up mobility to explain whether that intends rehiring unit aliases doing nan activity pinch contractors aliases thing else.

HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard wrote, "CDC is assisting pinch validating caller laboratory instrumentation utilized for biology lead testing" astatine nan petition of nan Milwaukee Health Department.

Kennedy said passim his grounds earlier 3 different legislature panels that he cannot speak successful item astir nan reorganization because of ongoing litigation. He has antecedently said that CDC had "mission creep" and will only reside infectious diseases going forward.

Kennedy intends to unfastened a caller agency called nan Administration for a Healthy America — AHA — to activity connected chronic diseases, intelligence health, and different wellness issues, but specifications of nan timeline for erstwhile it will beryllium progressive and who will unit it person not been made public.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D.-Wis., speaks pinch nan property aft nan Democrats' argumentation luncheon connected Tuesday. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption

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Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

"You can't conscionable slash funding, occurrence everyone, slap a motto connected a caller agency and opportunity that activity will continue," Baldwin told Kennedy successful nan hearing. "Your determination to occurrence unit and destruct offices is endangering children, including thousands of children successful Milwaukee. If you person a connection to make these programs activity better, coming it and warrant it."

Milwaukee says it still needs support

Totoraitis, Milwaukee's wellness commissioner, says it's unusual that nan section lead consequence has been nan halfway of this nationalist communicative astir nan restructuring of national wellness agencies.

"I spot this crisis, unfortunately, arsenic this canary successful nan ember excavation of what is being dismantled and what could perchance go really catastrophic for our country," he says.

At this point, respective school-aged children person been recovered to person precocious levels of lead successful their blood, which has been traced backmost to schools. In nan past, nan wellness section has dealt pinch lead poisoning happening successful residential homes. "This is simply a immense pivot for our section to person to now beryllium investigating schools," he says. "The territory has complete 140 schoolhouse buildings that each person immoderate varying levels of lead overgarment hazards."

They wanted CDC expertise to thief negociate this situation and had worked for months connected a general petition for CDC unit support, he says.

"They were going to nonstop that squad to Milwaukee to thief america pinch nan investigation, screening, information management," he says. Once nan national unit was each laid off, nan petition was formally denied, he explains, "because they didn't person immoderate taxable matter experts wrong nan full CDC to support nan puerility lead investigation that we were doing."

Totoraitis says nan nationalist schoolhouse lead situation successful his metropolis hasn't stopped, and now his section squad is scrambling to fig retired really to negociate without nan master support from CDC.

Have a tip? NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin tin beryllium contacted done encrypted communications astatine selena.02 connected Signal.

NPR's Yuki Noguchi contributed to this report.