From PBS NewsHour.

Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., tussled with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the measles surge in the United States in a hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request.

“Does the president know there is a historic measles surge occurring nationwide?” Blunt Rochester asked.

“I’m sure he does,” Kennedy responded.

The Delaware senator went on to ask if Trump believes that the U.S. losing its measles-free status is not a significant issue.

“I’m sure he doesn’t think it’s a good development,” Kennedy said.

“Have you talked with him about it?” Blunt Rochester asked, incredulous. She noted the frequency with which the president talks about the White House ballroom addition, and wondered how often he has spoken publicly about measles.

Kennedy, who was appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said his department doesn’t keep track of that information.

"It’s my job, not the president’s job" to sound the alarm about measles, Kennedy said. "And I do my job."

In an earlier hearing, Kennedy faced questioning about his stance on vaccines, Trump’s drug website known as Trump Rx, as well as proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and influential chair of the Senate Health Committee, had opportunities in both hearings Wednesday to press Kennedy, whose approach to vaccines he’s criticized in the past.

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