RFK Jr. Clashes with Sen. Murray Over Cancer Patient’s Care in Heated Capitol Hill Showdown

In a fiery Capitol Hill showdown, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clashed with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) over delays in cancer care for a constituent named Natalie Phelps, a mother of two battling stage four colorectal cancer. The heated exchange erupted during a Senate hearing when Murray accused Kennedy and the Trump administration of stalling Natalie’s critical clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health due to widespread staff cuts.

Murray pressed Kennedy for specifics on the layoffs, claiming the delays could be a matter of life and death. Kennedy, visibly frustrated, offered to review Natalie’s case if Murray’s team contacted his office, but the senator deemed his response inadequate, demanding answers within 24 hours. The back-and-forth escalated when Kennedy sharply questioned Murray’s motives, stating, “You don’t care about Natalie,” while pledging to do everything in his power to expedite her treatment.

After a recess, Kennedy revealed a twist: Natalie was deemed medically ineligible for the trial, a decision unrelated to the staff reductions. He dismissed Murray’s accusations as a “canard,” asserting no clinical trials were halted due to the cuts. Kennedy, fielding broader questions about Trump’s budget slashes, emphasized a shift toward “spending smarter” to prioritize direct impact over bureaucracy.

The exchange laid bare the tensions between personal tragedies and political posturing, with Natalie’s plight caught in the crossfire. Kennedy’s blunt rebuttal and Murray’s relentless questioning underscored the high stakes of health policy in a polarized Washington.