Trump administration live updates: RFK Jr. answers more questions from Congress; Fed nominee Kevin Warsh faces senators

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., criticized Kennedy for the administration's decision to rescind a rule that instituted a minimum staffing in nursing homes, saying the rule would have saved lives.

"Your agency rescinded a rule implementing a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes," she said. "This rule would have saved lives, improved care and strengthened the nursing home workforce."

Kennedy argued that the rule was putting thousands of nursing homes in rural areas out of business because they could not meet the federal standard.

In December, HHS moved to repeal minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities. Earlier last year, a district judge rejected a Biden-era policy to increase staffing at long-term care facilities that participate in Medicaid or Medicare.

Tillis calls for Powell investigation to be 'taken down' at hearing for next Fed chair

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Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., blasted the investigation into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell by Trump's U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro.

Tillis, who is currently blocking Warsh’s confirmation to the Fed until the Justice Department drops or ends the probe, called it a "bogus investigation."

Referring to cost overruns in the renovation of the Federal Reserve headquarters, Tillis added that such overruns are a regular occurrence with construction projects in the federal government and do not mean that wrongdoing has occurred.

"If we put everybody in prison in federal government that had had a budget go over, we'd have to reserve an area roughly the size of Texas for a penal colony," Tillis said.

Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., criticized Kennedy over the CDC's changes to the childhood vaccine schedule earlier this year.

"What you have demonstrated throughout your entire time as secretary is the dismantling of the childhood vaccination programs that has been detrimental to our nation and puts our nation at risk of getting more communicable diseases, which has been shown through the flu, through the measles, those cases have been rising," said Ruiz, a former emergency physician.

Kennedy said he's "never been anti-vax" and said he's allocating $1 billion to vaccine research at the National Institutes of Health right now. "If I was anti-vax, I wouldn’t be doing that," he said. "I don’t believe all vaccines are bad. I’ve never said that. What I’ve said is they should be safety tested."

Warsh sidestepped questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., about $100 million in assets that he has not publicly disclosed.

After he declined to answer, Warren asked him if the money had any ties to the Trump family, foreign governments or Jeffrey Epstein. Warsh did not answer those questions either, and said he had an agreement with the government ethics office to divest his assets after he's confirmed, and is in compliance with ethics rules.

Asked if he believed that Trump lost the 2020 election, Warsh again sidestepped the question, but said he would be independent. Asked for any difference he has with the president at all, Warsh said he disagreed with Trump's assertion that he's "out of central casting." "Central casting I’d look older, grayer and show up here with a cigar of sorts," he said.

"Quite adorable," a stone-faced Warren responded.

The hearing for Trump's Federal Reserve chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, is getting underway.

In Warsh's opening statement, he alluded to near-constant attacks by Trump and his top allies against the central bank and its chair, Jerome Powell, for not lowering interest rates more quickly.

"Monetary policymakers must act in the nation's interest," he said.

He added, "I do not believe that independence of monetary policy is threatened when elected officials state their views." He added that "the Fed must stay in its lane."

His comments come amid an unprecedented criminal investigation into Powell and the central bank by the Justice Department, which has been blocked so far by a federal judge.

Kevin Warsh arrives at his confirmation hearing today. Francis Chung / Politico via AP

One of the first questions from Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., was about Kennedy's stance on vaccines.

Kennedy defended his response to measles outbreaks, saying that they began before he was in office and that people not getting vaccinated also predated his time in office. He added that Canada and several other countries have experienced worse outbreaks per capita, suggesting the U.S. response has been more effective than those in other nations.

Kennedy pointed to the early outbreak in the Mennonite population and said that families of children who died alleged to him that when they arrived at a hospital, they were not offered "real" treatment but were shamed instead.

"Both of them believe that if their children had been properly treated, they would have lived," Kennedy said.

Doctors consider measles vaccines to be safe and effective. NBC News has previously reported that there have been more than 1,700 measles cases in the U.S. so far this year, making it one of the two worst for measles in the country since 2000.

The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing featuring Kennedy's testimony has begun.

The hearing centers on the Trump administration's budget request for fiscal year 2027, and Kennedy is likely to face questions on other subjects, such as his vaccine stances and overhaul of federal health agencies.

This afternoon, Kennedy will have another hearing in the Senate. He testified before lawmakers last week as well.

Former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are sharing a message of optimism with Americans as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

The four presidents each spoke individually with Jenna Bush Hager in a “TODAY” exclusive today in which they expressed their hope for the future and affirmed the principles they believe are a bedrock of American government and civic life.

Read the full story here.

Polls close in Virginia at 7:00 p.m. ET.

If the amendment passes, it would pave the way for Democrats to pick up as many as four of the five seats currently held by Republicans in this fall’s midterm elections, when control of the narrowly divided House is up for grabs. 

Currently, the Virginia delegation is split between six Democrats and five Republicans. But under the new map, Democrats would be favored to win up to 10 seats, while Republicans would be favored to win one. 

Trump defended the Justice Department investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the renovation of the agency's D.C. headquarters.

In a phone interview on CNBC this morning, Trump was asked repeatedly if he would support the DOJ dropping the probe if the Senate Banking Committee could investigate the issues instead.

Trump, however, fiercely defended the probe. "We have to find out why a small building cost close to $4 billion. It's not finished, by the way," he said.

Tillis, who's retiring from Congress at the end of this year, has said he would continue blocking Warsh as long as the DOJ investigation continues.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned according to two sources with knowledge of the decision, making her the third Cabinet member to depart during Trump’s second term.

Chavez-DeRemer had been facing a probe from the Labor Department’s inspector general for potential misconduct. That investigation has already resulted in multiple of her top staffers being placed on administrative leave and then ultimately leaving their posts.

Read the full story here.

Virginia voters today will decide the fate of a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for a new congressional map designed to allow Democrats to pick up as many as four seats in this year’s midterm elections.

The special election marks the latest fight in the mid-decade redistricting war that has unfolded across the country as both parties vie for control of the narrowly divided House. Under the proposed map in Virginia, Democrats would be in position to hold up to 10 of the state’s 11 districts, rather than the current six.

Read the full story here.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify at a House Energy and Commerce hearing this morning and a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing this afternoon.

Kennedy will testify on the Trump administration's budget request for HHS and is likely to face questions about his vaccine stances and personnel decisions.

Kennedy faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers at a pair of House hearings last week over his vaccine policies and overhaul of federal health agencies. Kennedy was pressed on his push to make changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, his handling of measles outbreaks and staffing cuts across the department.