12:30 Report — Senators grill RFK Jr.; Trump’s funding freeze blowback

12:30 REPORT

It’s Wednesday. Who else watched Alex Cooper’s interview with former “Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell? Because I have thoughts and want to discuss. Here’s what’s happening: Here’s what’s happening:

Senators grill RFK Jr. on vaccines.
Trump’s federal funding freeze faces pushback, complications.
Fetterman slated to attend Trump's Laken Riley Act signing today.
Hannity interviews Vance tonight.
The senator who often commutes to D.C. by private plane.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips & feedback to cmartel@thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up.

🔵 In Congress

Vaccines, MAHA and bear carcasses, oh my!:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is getting grilled on Capitol Hill right now, sitting in the hot seat for his confirmation hearing to serve as President Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary.

How it’s going: It’s been pretty fiery so far. Democrats have laid into Kennedy’s stances on vaccines and abortion. But so far, there haven’t been any earthshattering developments to derail his nomination.

Plus: Howard Lutnick is testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee for his nomination as Commerce secretary. 💻 Livestream

💻 Watch RFK’s hearing live — it is not a boring one, let me tell you!

🗨️ Follow today’s live blog

Some highlights from the RFK Jr. hearing:

RFK Jr. claims he is not an anti-vaxxer: “New reports have claimed I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. I am not,” Kennedy said in his opening statement. “My children are vaccinated.” 📹 Watch the clip

On abortion: Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) accused Kennedy of being a “sellout” for supporting Trump’s anti-abortion position. She noted that he described himself in 2023 as “pro-choice.” Kennedy responded that “every abortion is a tragedy.”

This exchange was a bit tense: Watch Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) grill Kennedy over his vaccine stances. 📹 Watch the clip

That was blunt: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who is Kennedy’s former law school roommate and friend said to the HHS nominee: “Frankly, you frighten people.”

📹 RFK JR. introduced his wife, actor Cheryl Hines

📹 A protester interruption

Spotted outside the Capitol South metro: People giving out “MAKE POLIO GREAT AGAIN” t-shirts. 📸 Photo

And the Lutnick hearing:

Lutnick got emotional discussing 9/11: At one point during Lutnick’s hearing, he became visibly emotional while mentioning his brother and the more than 650 employees — including his brother, Gary — from his firm who were killed in New York City on 9/11.

Who introduced Lutnick?: Vice President Vance 📹 Watch

A GOP senator to watch: The Atlantic’s Nicholas Florko reports that Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a former physician who was heavily involved in a campaign to vaccinate kids against hepatitis B, is a key vote in deciding Kennedy’s confirmation. Cassidy has not said how he would vote.

➤ WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?:

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Pam Bondi's nomination in a party-line vote.

And coming up tomorrow: Trump’s FBI nominee Kash Patel and director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, both of which are expected to be doozies. Gabbard cannot lose a single vote in committee, but she can lose up to three defections on the floor.

Gabbard: Her path to confirmation is extremely narrow, and she cannot afford to lose a single vote from the Senate Intelligence Committee, which normally votes behind closed doors. But a group of GOP lawmakers are waging a last-minute campaign to make the hearing public.

➤ THE KENNEDY FAMILY IS DISHING IT OUT:

First, RFK Jr.’s cousin Caroline Kennedy posted a video urging senators to vote against him. And let me tell you, she *did not* hold back. 📹 Watch Caroline Kennedy’s video

The gist: She accused him of being a “predator” and described him “showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence,” she said. While she acknowledges that people can change as adults, she claims “he vaccinates his own kids while building a following hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.” Whew.

Plus: Kennedy’s physician niece Kerry Kennedy Meltzer shared private emails to STAT News where her uncle makes false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, including linking them to autism.

➤ TIDBITS:

Even the burgers have a logo: Journalist Jamie Dupree posted a photo of cheeseburgers served at the House GOP retreat at Trump’s Doral, Fla., resort. The burger buns are quite literally branded with “TRUMP.” 📸 See for yourself

Wanna know how Jim Justice gets to the office every day?: Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) has been commuting from West Virginia to Washington, D.C., most days by private jet, reports Punchbowl News. Keep in mind that it’s very tough to land at DCA because of tightened security post-9/11.

Happening at 2 p.m.:

President Trump will sign the Laken Riley Act, the immigration bill that would detain migrants charged with some nonviolent crimes, into law this afternoon. This marks his first legislation of his second term.

Interesting tidbit: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) announced that he will attend the bill signing ceremony. He’s a co-sponsor of the bill, which received 12 “yes” votes from Democrats. Fetterman has raised eyebrows since he warmed to Trump in recent weeks.

💻 Watch live

‘The Purge: Washington’:

President Trump has amped up his “shock and awe” strategy (as one Senate Republican described to The Hill) to the next level.

The Trump administration is offering 2 million federal employees a buyout if they do not plan to return to the office. The administration claims workers can retain benefits and a salary through September if they hand in their resignation by Feb. 6.

How many people does the administration expect to take the offer?: Roughly 5-10 percent of federal employees, according to Axios, which broke the story. That could mean hundreds of thousands of people.

📹 Watch White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt address it

The can of worms has been opened:

President Trump sent shockwaves through Washington on Tuesday by directing nearly all federal assistance programs to be frozen while the Trump administration conducts a review.

But a judge put a pin in this: A federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze. Now, it won’t take effect until 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3.

What programs are affected?: The New York Times compiled a list of the 2,600 federal programs that could be affected.

Will Medicaid be affected?: That’s up for debate. On Tuesday afternoon, state Medicaid programs across the country reported they lost access to federal payment portals. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the outages but said access will return.

🥊 Happening at 1 p.m.: House Democratic leaders organized an “emergency” meeting with the full caucus to strategize combatting Trump’s federal spending freeze.

➤ MORE READS:

The Washington Post: Rubio backtracks on near-total foreign aid freeze, issues humanitarian waiver
The Wall Street Journal: As a Rising Political Star, Gabbard Paid to Mask Her Sect’s Ties to Alleged Scheme
The Atlantic’s Ashley Parker: You’re So Vain, You Probably Think Kash Patel Hates You
Analysis in The New York Times: Amid the Chaos, Trump Has a Simple Message: He’s in Charge

🐝 Internet Buzz

🥑 Celebrate: Today is National Corn Chip Day!

📘 Book buzz: The Hill’s Amie Parnes and journalist Jonathan Allen wrote a new book called, “FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House.” They published an excerpt this morning, describing what happened behind the scenes of how former Vice President Kamala Harris failed to land podcaster Joe Rogan’s support. Read the inside story of how Beyoncé refused to perform at the Houston rally.

📆 On The Agenda

The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is in Washington. (all times Eastern)

2 p.m.: Trump signs the Laken Riley Act into law.
2:30 p.m.: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference. 💻 Livestream
3:30 p.m.: Small Business Administration nominee Kelly Loeffler 💻 Livestream
9 p.m.: Fox News’s Sean Hannity interviews Vice President Vance.
Just announced — Feb. 4: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump will meet at the White House.

👋 And Finally…

Because you read to the end, enjoy watching these ducks hunt for peas in the snow.

Stay Engaged

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!

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12:30 Report — Senators grill RFK Jr.; Trump’s funding freeze blowback

12:30 REPORT

🔵 In Congress

Vaccines, MAHA and bear carcasses, oh my!:

➤ WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?:

➤ THE KENNEDY FAMILY IS DISHING IT OUT:

➤ TIDBITS:

Happening at 2 p.m.:

‘The Purge: Washington’:

The can of worms has been opened:

➤ MORE READS:

🐝 Internet Buzz

📆 On The Agenda

👋 And Finally…

Stay Engaged

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