U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday that he will share the Department of Health and Human Services contract for David Geier with senators by the end of the week. Kennedy made the remark during his sixth congressional hearing in the span of a week as lawmakers pressed him on the role Geier occupies within the department.
Geier, described in HHS records as a senior data analyst, is employed as a contractor and reports to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The production of his employment contract would be the first formal, detailed account provided by the department outlining what duties and responsibilities Geier holds.
During the hearing, Senator Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico asked Kennedy whether he would also commit to releasing the protocols that would govern Geier’s work. Kennedy replied that such protocols do not exist at this time, and therefore could not be shared. He added that the protocols would be provided once Geier’s work is complete.
Kennedy has previously said that Geier is leading a vaccine safety review of CDC data. Both Kennedy and Geier have advanced claims linking vaccines to autism that are described in the record as debunked and contrary to established scientific consensus. The committee heard reminders of Geier’s past disciplinary history; Maryland previously fined him for practicing medicine without a license and for prescribing dangerous treatments to children with autism.
The exchange highlights two related transparency issues facing HHS oversight:
- Whether full documentation of a contractor’s scope and responsibilities will be made available to congressional overseers in a timely fashion.
- How a department will present methodological or operational protocols when they are still under development.
Kennedy’s commitment to deliver the contract offers a definitive, near-term step toward supplying legislators with concrete documentation of Geier’s appointment and reporting lines. At the same time, his statement that working protocols do not yet exist underscores an unresolved question about how the department intends to record and disclose the design and governance of the review Kennedy says is underway.
Committee members and outside observers remain limited to official records and public testimony for now. Release of the contract would provide the first official, detailed explanation of Geier’s formal role at HHS; the availability and timing of any subsequent protocols will depend on the completion of Geier’s work, according to Kennedy’s testimony.