WASHINGTON — Two United States senators opened a formal inquiry on Wednesday into whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed perjury during his Senate confirmation hearings regarding his 2019 travel to Samoa.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland dispatched an expansive document demand to Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine advocacy group Kennedy chaired before entering the cabinet. The lawmakers are targeting internal records spanning Kennedy's 2019 trip to the Pacific island nation, his 2024 presidential bid, and his sworn testimony before the Senate in January 2025. Kennedy insists he told the truth. The senators disagree.
Perjury before Congress is a federal crime.
We are beginning an investigation into evidence that secretary of health and human services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unlawfully lied to Congress on multiple occasions. We intend to hold secretary Kennedy accountable for the grave harm he has caused to vulnerable children.
Senator Ron Wyden & Senator Angela Alsobrooks, In a joint oversight letter
Kennedy traveled to Samoa in 2019 serving as chairman and chief legal counsel of Children's Health Defense. Months later, a devastating measles outbreak swept the island nation. The epidemic killed 83 people, claiming the lives of dozens of children under the age of five. Samoan officials and medical critics charged that Kennedy's presence and advocacy emboldened local anti-vaccine factions, triggering a catastrophic plunge in immunization coverage.
Yet during two tense Senate confirmation hearings in January 2025, Kennedy repeatedly testified under oath that his trip to Samoa had "nothing to do with vaccines." The Department of Health and Human Services has maintained that identical stance.
Official correspondence paints a starkly different reality.
Disclosed records show Kennedy dispatched a letter directly to Samoa's prime minister on official letterhead during that period, invoking the words "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight separate times. The sharp divergence between those written records and his sworn statements under oath now anchors the Senate inquiry.
| Inquiry Parameter | Case Record & Timeline Details |
|---|---|
| Official Under Scrutiny | Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US Secretary of Health and Human Services |
| Investigating Lawmakers | Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) & Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) |
| Entity Subpoenaed/Targeted | Children’s Health Defense (CHD) |
| Key Disputed Statement | Claimed under oath 2019 Samoa visit had "nothing to do with vaccines" |
| Contradictory Evidence | Official letter to Samoa PM using "vaccine" or "vaccination" 8 times |
| Samoa Outbreak Toll | 83 confirmed dead, predominantly children under age 5 |
Kennedy secured confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in February 2025 on a razor-thin 52-48 party-line vote in President Donald Trump's second administration. He has pushed back aggressively against the allegations, denying any misconduct during his testimony.
Congressional leaders can utilize the findings to trigger public investigative hearings, launch an impeachment inquiry, or tie up agency operations in oversight litigation. The Senate committee deadline for Children’s Health Defense to turn over the requested communications and travel manifests looms ahead of the January congressional handover.
| Senate Confirmation Tally | Confirmed 52–48 in February 2025 |