Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been urged to resign after reiterating statement that has people questioning why he is health secretary.
During a House committee hearing at the US Capitol, the 71-year-old Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) chief was quizzed on his beliefs about vaccines - having made numerous claims about the harm vaccines can cause, which have been overwhelmingly debunked by experts in the field.
One of those claims were that vaccines cause autism, a theory that has been discredited.
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Now, speaking during the hearing into his testimonies yesterday (May 14), Wisconsin Democrat Representative Mark Pocan asked: "Something that might be helpful is that you've previously said you've vaccinated your children - just because I think this is a helpful answer and this isn't a 'gotcha' I promise - if you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?"
Kennedy replied: "For measles, probably for measles."
However, it is how he developed on the answer that has left people believing that America 'is screwed'.
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He continued: "What I would say is my opinion about vaccines are irrelevant, I have directed [Dr] Jay Bhattacharya to do the science so that everybody can make that decision.
"But I don't want to be seem like I'm being evasive, but I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me.
"I think if I answer that question directly it will seem like I'm giving advice to other people and I don't want to be doing that, I want people to make up their own mind."
Pocan replied: "But that's kind of your jurisdiction because CDC [The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] does give advice."
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Kennedy went on to tell Pocan a further two more additional times that he doesn't 'want to give advice', despite heading up the HHS.
Taking to Reddit, users were baffled at what they heard. One user wrote: "So then why the f*** are you Secretary of HHS?"
While another typed: "Then why the f*** have you been giving medical advice to parents about the 'dangers' of vaccines if you’re not qualified to give anyone medical advice?"
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With a third writing: "Hey America, that was your health secretary speaking there. YOUR HEALTH SECRETARY! If you don't get rid of these morons then you're as stupid as he is."
Meanwhile, a host of other users pushed for Kennedy to resign from his post.
"QUIT YOUR JOB PLEASE," one person typed.
A second added: "Then resign."
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With another urging: "If he truly believed that he’d resign from his position effective immediately."
Joe Yates