RFK Jr defends leadership as lawmakers grill him on vaccines

Robert F Kennedy Jr defended his leadership of US health agencies in a fiery hearing on Thursday, as lawmakers grilled him over his vaccine policies and other sweeping agency changes.

During three hours of testimony, Democrats accused the US health secretary of lying and restricting Americans' access to vaccines, while several Republican senators also raised concerns.

The hearing comes a week after Kennedy fired the leader of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a clash over his vaccine policies.

Since taking the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in February, Kennedy has made a number of changes that have alarmed health experts.

In June, he fired every member of a panel of independent vaccine experts that issues recommendations for immunisations.

Public health experts raised concerns about the qualifications of the members - several of whom are vaccine critics - appointed in their place.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on Thursday, Susan Monarez, the former head of the CDC, said she was fired because she refused to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations from the panel.