HHS Chief RFK Jr. Scraps Extra Public Comment Period for New Regulations

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended the department’s expanded public comment practice for new regulations, reversing a decades-old policy that let communities and experts weigh in more extensively on proposed health rules. HHS will now follow minimal requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act, shortening feedback opportunities. Critics argue the shift diminishes transparency and silences public voices on issues like vaccine guidelines, hospital funding, and medical privacy. RFK Jr. calls the extra steps “unnecessary bureaucracy.” Lawmakers from both parties and medical associations denounce the change, saying robust feedback refines policy and fosters trust. They point to recent hasty rule changes affecting transgender care and unapproved therapies that lacked normal public input. Legal analysts expect possible congressional or judicial pushback if HHS finalizes regulations without typical comment windows.