A tense exchange unfolded during a congressional hearing when Representative Greg Casar (D-TX) pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his access to corporate executives and billionaires, compared to everyday Americans losing their health insurance.
Rep. Casar opened by establishing a pattern of meetings Kennedy had held since taking office.
The secretary confirmed he had sat down with pharmaceutical giants, including Pfizer and Eli Lilly, food industry leaders from Pepsi, Tyson, and Kellogg's, and the CEO of Starbucks, many of those meetings taking place at Mar-a-Lago alongside President Donald Trump.
When Casar asked how many billionaires Kennedy had met with, the secretary said he had "no idea," though Casar noted that Cabinet meetings alone included figures like Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick.
The Texas Democrat then pivoted to the central tension of the exchange.
The budget legislation moving through Congress, he argued, delivers significant tax cuts to wealthy Americans while reducing Medicaid funding in ways that independent analysts project could leave 15 million people without health coverage.
"How many Americans have you met with who have lost or are about to lose their health insurance?" Casar asked directly.
Kennedy's Argument
Kennedy pushed back, saying he meets with everyday Americans regularly and has engaged more with tribal leaders and advocacy organizations than any previous HHS secretary.
Regarding the Medicaid question, Kennedy pointed to a recent Congressional Budget Office report he said showed the program's spending increasing by $47 billion over the next ten years, framing the projected coverage losses not as cuts, but as a matter of how Washington defines spending reductions.
He argued that over a trillion dollars in Medicaid spending is still set to flow over the coming decade. However, Casar remained skeptical, highlighting two constituents from his Central Texas district by name.
One woman by the name of Porsha in Buda, Texas saw her monthly premium rise from $100 to $500. Casar’s constituent, Shauna, in San Marcos, watched her monthly premium climb from $250 to $750.
"Five hundred dollars a month may not be a lot to you or to some of the billionaires you're talking to," Casar told Kennedy, "but for these moms with kids, they've lost their health insurance this last year."
The two left the exchange in clear disagreement, with Kennedy defending the administration's record on Medicaid spending with CBO figures, while Casar argued that behind the budget numbers are real Texans already feeling the squeeze, with millions more potentially at risk in the years ahead.
