7 key issues we’re watching as RFK Jr. faces a Congressional gauntlet Can Kennedy stay on message? And will he get combative with lawmakers? By Chelsea CirruzzoApril 16, 2026 Washington Correspondent

https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/16/kennedy-congress-testimony-balance-maha-goals-trump-priorities/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9wQ-1pQJV5LCbq9DYr6-ThZypJvmGDeAyEbZS7PQ-9ashivZ0o6uNlfYeVKf6eGR2MaUaG9xbdetuTyNhsDgvWHyw6gQ&_hsmi=414032008&utm_content=414032008&utm_source=hs_email Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to Capitol Hill today to testify about the fiscal 2027 budget request. He’ll sit through at least seven hearings in front of key House and Senate committees over the next week. And as STAT’s Chelsea Cirruzzo reports, how Kennedy navigates lawmakers’ questions will test whether he can stay on message before embarking on a midterms tour to shore up support for the MAHA movement and the White House’s agenda. He’s likely to boast about the administration’s “MAHA wins” over the last year, but the focus is meant to be the budget. That includes a proposed 12% cut to HHS and other proposals floated in the fiscal 2026 budget that were ultimately ignored by Congress. Read more from Chelsea on the key questions she’ll be tracking over the course of the day.