‘You Can Clap All You Want’: House Democrat Spars With Marjorie Taylor Greene Over RFK Jr. Gutting Health Agency

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) sparred with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) over the possibility of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gutting the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday titled “Preparing for Future Pandemics,” the California lawmaker cited an ABC News article discussing how Kennedy would “gut” the NIH if given control of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Later on Thursday, Politico reported that President-elect Donald Trump would nominate RFK Jr. to lead the department. Kennedy has promoted conspiracy theories and other false claims about Covid-19 vaccines.

Greene reacted to Garcia’s claims RFK would clear out the department by clapping audibly during the committee hearing.

GARCIA: The fact that we’re considering to bring somebody on with no scientific or medical credentials who’s falsely claim for decades of vaccines cause autism, who has quite frankly said just outrageous comments about science and medicine. That this person could come in to gut the NIH, I think is shameful.

[clapping]

GARCIA: Ms. Greene, you can clap all you want but it is shameful, it’s dangerous. And if this committee is about pandemic prevention, we should be very concerned as a country that RFK Jr. could be put in charge of health, when he when he is a vaccine denier and has caused great harm to the American public.

Watch the clip above.