{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warner-colleagues-press-rfk-jr-on-diversion-of-taxpayer-public-health-funding-to-promote-his-personal-brand/", "Warner, Colleagues Press RFK Jr. on Diversion of Taxpayer Public Health Funding to Promote His Personal Brand", "2026-09-11", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "VA", "Mark R. Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", "warner", "https://www.warner.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for answers regarding his use of time and resources for vanity projects as he fails to address the public health challenges facing Americans. While a record number of Americans are contracting measles, falling sick from parasites found in their food, and struggling to afford the health care that they need, Secretary Kennedy is diverting taxpayer dollars for self-promotion projects such as a podcast and cooking show to highlight his own interests, hobbies, and brand. The effort was joined by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as well as U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM).\n\n\u201cOn a bipartisan basis, Congress has provided your Department with targeted resources to fight outbreaks of disease\u2026 However, it appears that you are not using this Office or comparable Department resources to address ongoing public health crises,\u201d the senators wrote in a request for records and information to Secretary Kennedy.\u201cInstead, you appear to be directing taxpayer dollars and official federal resources to produce vanity projects. These self-promotion projects include a new podcast and a new show that are each centered around your personal brand instead of the responsibility of your Department to protect the health of all Americans.\u201d\n\nThe senators continued, \u201cOn \u2018The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,\u2019 you appear to be using official HHS resources to discuss topics such as \u2018biohacking\u2019 while ignoring the pressing outbreaks that Americans are facing every day. You also appear to be spending official HHS resources to personally host a cooking show called \u2018The Real Food Show.\u2019 A recent episode of this show, paid for with taxpayer dollars, featured you discussing \u2018The Secret to the PERFECT Omelet.\u2019 Both projects are on official government websites and state that they were produced by the Department of Health and Human Services.\u201d\n\nIn the letter to Secretary Kennedy, the senators pressed for answers on how much of his Department\u2019s time and taxpayer funds have been spent on projects such his \u201cThe Real Food Show,\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast.\u201d The letter also requests answers on how much of the Department\u2019s time and funding is being spent to respond to growing public health emergencies, such as the measles outbreak, including how much of Secretary Kennedy\u2019s own time is actually dedicated to addressing these public health threats.\n\nUnder Secretary Kennedy\u2019s leadership, the United States is facing multiple life-threatening public health challenges. More Americans have contracted measles during this current administration than in the past 24 years combined. Additionally, as many as 20,000 people have been infected by cyclospora, a parasite that causes severe gastrointestinal distress, and two people have died as a result of this uncontrolled outbreak.\n\nRead the full text of the letter here and below.\n\nDear Secretary Kennedy,\n\nRecord numbers of Americans are contracting measles, falling sick with a parasite, and struggling to afford the health care that they need. At the same time, you are failing to carry out your duties as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). We are concerned that, instead of addressing the struggles that Americans face today in trying to keep their families safe and healthy, you are using taxpayer dollars to promote your personal brand.\n\nIn just the past few months, the United States has faced life-threatening public health challenges that you have failed to adequately address. Since President Trump was sworn in, more than 4,600 Americans \u2013 mostly children \u2013 have been infected by measles, and three have died. During this Administration, we have seen more cases of measles in the United States than in the previous 24 years combined. Yet you have made nearly no effort to help families protect their children from the life-threatening impacts of measles, and infections continue to skyrocket: in August of 2026, we have already surpassed the total number of measles cases reported in all of 2025. In fact, this is a predictable consequence of your longstanding crusade against vaccines.\n\nWhile measles outbreaks continue to make children sick in every region of the country, you are also failing to protect Americans from historic outbreaks of foodborne illness. As many as 20,000 people have reported infections from cyclospora, a parasite that causes severe gastrointestinal distress, and two people have now died as a result of this uncontrolled outbreak. As your Department fails to get a handle on cyclospora, people in at least 32 states have also been infected by salmonella, and dozens have been hospitalized.\n\nOn a bipartisan basis, Congress has provided your Department with targeted resources to fight outbreaks of disease. For example, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs has received significant funding to lead national communications campaigns about public health emergencies. However, it appears that you are not using this Office or comparable Department resources to address ongoing public health crises.\n\nInstead, you appear to be directing taxpayer dollars and official federal resources to produce vanity projects. These self-promotion projects include a new podcast and a new show that are each centered around your personal brand instead of the responsibility of your Department to protect the health of all Americans. On \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast,\u201d you appear to be using official HHS resources to discuss topics such as \u201cbiohacking\u201d while ignoring the pressing outbreaks that Americans are facing every day. You also appear to be spending official HHS resources to personally host a cooking show called \u201cThe Real Food Show.\u201d A recent episode of this show, paid for with taxpayer dollars, featured you discussing \u201cThe Secret to the PERFECT Omelet.\u201d Both projects are on official government websites and state that they were produced by the Department of Health and Human Services.\n\nTo better understand how you are allocating the Department\u2019s resources, we request answers to the following questions by September 30, 2026:\n\nHow much official time have you spent in meetings, briefings, and public engagements related to coordinating a response to address the following outbreaks?\n\nMeasles\n\nCyclospora\n\nSalmonella\n\nHantavirus\n\nEbola\n\nHow much has the Department spent on efforts to respond to the measles outbreak and promote vaccination against measles?\n\nPlease describe the efforts and resources that you have dedicated to hiring staff at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the following areas of expertise:\n\nEpidemiology\n\nInfectious disease\n\nLaboratory science\n\nPublic health informatics and surveillance\n\nPublic health communication\n\nHow much official time have you personally spent in producing the \u201cThe Real Food Show\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast?\u201d\n\nHow many federal employees are working on \u201cThe Real Food Show\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast\u201d, and how many hours are staff spending on these projects?\n\nWhat are the total budget and expenditures thus far for the Department\u2019s production and promotion of \u201cThe Real Food Show\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast\u201d?\n\nFrom where in the HHS operating budget is funding being drawn down to obtain the materials, production resources, staff resources, and promotion budget for these shows?\n\nPlease provide all communications, including contracts, statements of work, invoices, and payment records, between the Office of the Secretary and any production companies, media consultants, personal branding vendors, or third-party contractors involved in the \u201cThe Real Food Show\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast.\u201d\n\nDid the Department\u2019s ethics officials review and approve the use of taxpayer dollars for \u201cThe Real Food Show\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast?\u201d If so, please provide all associated opinions, guidance, memoranda, and conditions.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-12T09:02:30Z", "2026-09-12T09:03:27Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warner-colleagues-press-rfk-jr-on-diversion-of-taxpayer-public-health-funding-to-promote-his-personal-brand/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2604529038071632, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}