KENNEDY’S MEASLES RESPONSE — As a deadly measles outbreak spread across Texas, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent his weekend hiking in California, alarming HHS officials working overtime to track and contain the disease, POLITICO’s Adam Cancryn, Sophie Gardner and I report. That’s according to two people close to the response granted anonymity to describe a sensitive situation. Context: Measles has infected more than 140 people in west Texas in a matter of weeks, killing a child and fueling fears more outbreaks would soon emerge throughout the country. Why it matters: To his critics and even some increasingly concerned allies, the episode epitomized the worryingly casual attitude that Kennedy has taken in public toward managing the first major health crisis on his watch, according to a half-dozen current and former administration officials, outside advisers and other public health officials, most of whom were granted anonymity to speak candidly. "It's a serious role, he's just a couple of weeks in and measles is not a common occurrence, and it should be all hands on deck," said one former Trump official granted anonymity to describe private conversations with current administration health officials. "When you're taking a selfie out at Coachella, it's pretty clear that you're checked out." In a weekend op-ed, Kennedy recommended vaccinating children against the disease while simultaneously insisting that doing so remains a personal choice. And during a Tuesday media appearance, he spent much of his time touting the benefits of alternative treatments, like vitamin A-heavy cod liver oil. The shifting messaging has generated unease in some corners of the Trump administration. On Monday, top HHS spokesperson Thomas Corry announced his resignation after two weeks on the job, in part out of frustration with Kennedy’s approach to the outbreak, two people familiar with Corry's thinking said. Kennedy’s promotion of vitamin A as a measles treatment also prompted one of his own advisers to publicly jump in and urge parents to “please do not rely” on it for protection. In Texas, some local officials have grown concerned that Kennedy’s messaging risks diluting their own communication efforts. They warn that his equivocations could undermine their only hope of ending the outbreak: Convincing people to take the measles vaccine. “We don't want to diminish the primary message,” Phil Huang, director of health and human services in Dallas County, Texas, said in an interview. “It’s the vaccines that are the most important.” NIH NOMINEE DEFLECTS ON CUTS — Dr. Jay Bhattacharya wouldn’t say if he would pull back cuts to the National Institutes of Health if confirmed to lead the agency during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, POLITICO’s Erin Schumaker and Daniel Payne report. Context: Stanford Medical School professor Bhattacharya faced questions from Democrats, as well as Maine Republican Susan Collins, on the Senate panel as to whether he would restore the pre-Trump status quo. The Trump administration has slowed down grantmaking and fired more than 1,000 NIH staffers. Bhattacharya repeatedly responded that he wasn’t involved in the administration’s early moves and that he’d revisit them, follow the law and ensure NIH researchers get the money they need. But he also said it made sense for the NIH to audit how it uses its resources to restore flagging trust in public health. "The broader problem is we have deep distrust of universities and scientific establishment during the pandemic," Bhattacharya said. "Transparency will solve that problem." As part of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative, Elon Musk is leading a campaign to root out government waste. The billionaire entrepreneur is a Bhattacharya fan. They met on Twitter during the pandemic as like-minded critics of government lockdowns before Musk bought the site and renamed it X. After the hearing, he called Bhattacharya "An excellent choice for @NIH director!" in a post.
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