Lawmakers Grill Health Secretary RFK Jr. Over Medicaid Cuts, Black Maternal Health
Black women are at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Black News 
Black lawmakers grilled Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr on the impact that the Trump administration’s anti-DEI initiatives have had on Black maternal health.
“Your agency told programs to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases from their funding applications, including the word ‘Black.’ Do you have an idea of how we could solve the Black maternal mortality crisis if we can’t say ‘Black’?” Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) asked Kennedy.
Lee’s exchange with Kennedy was during Black Maternal Health Week, which she noted..
“Secretary Kennedy, I’m sure you’re aware that Black women are at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women,” Lee said. “The vast majority of these deaths are preventable. Black women in my district are more likely to die during pregnancy than their peers in 97% of U.S. cities.”
Kennedy acknowledged the disparity but then pivoted to discussing broader maternal health and maintained that policies should include “Blacks and whites.” He also claimed that the current administration has made more improvements than its predecessors.
Lee wasn’t the only one who grilled Kennedy over his statements or priorities.
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) recently criticized the health secretary on budget cuts on Tuesday during an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing. Kennedy refused to recognize the $900 billion cut to Medicaid in the GOP-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 5, 2025.
“The American people are not falling for what you’re saying,” Kelly told Kennedy. “Your attacks on minority health, women’s health, LGBTQ+ health, and basic preventative medicine through illegal funding freezes and mass firings will lead to decades of consequences for all Americans. You have failed at your job and failed the American people.”
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