'Mutilating our kids': JD Vance curses after heated Senate grilling of Robert F Kennedy Jr; other officials come to defence

Vice President JD Vance came to the defence of health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr after a tense Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday, blasting senators who clashed with him as "full of s---."

During the hearing, senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) accused Kennedy of pushing conspiracy theories, raising health costs, and endangering children through "reckless decisions." Kennedy pushed back, noting Wyden's long time in office while chronic disease rates have risen sharply.


Vance later posted on X, accusing Democrats of supporting "irreversible hormonal therapies for children" while enriching pharmaceutical companies. Kennedy reposted Vance's message, thanking him for his support.

"When I see all these senators trying to lecture and 'gotcha' Bobby Kennedy today all I can think is: You all support off-label, untested, and irreversible hormonal 'therapies' for children, mutilating our kids and enriching big pharma," Vance wrote in an X post. "You're full of s--- and everyone knows it."

Other White House officials also defended Kennedy, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying he was "taking flak because he's over the target" and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich calling Democrats "parrots of a failed medical orthodoxy."

The clash came just a day after more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees called for Kennedy's resignation.

Kennedy defended his record, saying his department had been the "most proactive in history," citing progress on drug prices, food safety, environmental crises, and medical reforms.