Chris Klomp, President Trump's nominee to become the second-ranking official at the Department of Health and Human Services, is scheduled to appear Wednesday morning before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, according to the committee's hearing announcement. The session follows a Tuesday Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing that also considered Ge Bai's nomination for an assistant HHS secretary post, according to STAT's D.C. Diagnosis newsletter on the Klomp hearings.
Democrats intend to use the hearings to challenge what they see as a false narrative that Klomp was elevated to restrain Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine impulses, Semafor reported, citing a Democratic aide. The questions matter to families because HHS oversees the agencies that shape vaccine recommendations, insurance rules, and Medicare drug pricing.
At Tuesday's Finance hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, pressed Klomp over secrecy surrounding the administration's drug pricing deals with pharmaceutical companies, the Washington Examiner reported. MedicalDaily had not independently confirmed how Klomp answered any vaccine questions at that session at the time of publication.
Klomp's Path from Medicare to HHS Leadership
Klomp has served as Medicare director since April 2025, CNN reported when Trump announced the nomination in June. In February, he was chosen to oversee HHS operations and advise Kennedy, and the department has been without a deputy secretary since Jim O'Neill left that month.
As Medicare chief, Klomp played a central role in the administration's TrumpRx deals with drugmakers and its most-favored-nation drug pricing plan. At an April White House event, Trump said, "Chris Klomp has been unbelievable, a real star." Before joining the government, Klomp founded and led Collective Medical, a health data network that PointClickCare acquired in 2020, according to his HHS biography as cited by ExecutiveGov.
Klomp has quietly met with nearly 35 senators ahead of the hearings, Semafor reported, citing a person familiar with the outreach. In late July, Axios reported that Klomp continued to be largely regarded as competent and a steadying hand at HHS.
Vaccine Decisions Hanging Over the Hearings
The vaccine questions reflect a turbulent year at HHS. An Axios preview of Kennedy's spring hearings noted that a January overhaul had cut the number of recommended childhood vaccinations from 17 to 11, that Kennedy had directed the CDC to update its website to suggest a widely debunked link between vaccines and autism, and that his handpicked vaccine advisers had voted to drop the recommendation that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the childhood schedule changes in March, along with appointments and votes of Kennedy's reconstituted vaccine advisory committee. The administration has appealed and sought to expedite its appeal.
The same Axios report said the administration had elevated Klomp to serve as Kennedy's de facto chief of staff, overseeing key personnel moves. That role is why Democrats want to test whether he would act as a check on vaccine policy or help carry it out.
The hearings also fall in the same week that Kennedy is scheduled to deliver a keynote address Thursday at a Children's Health Defense conference in Washington, STAT reported. Kennedy chaired the anti-vaccine group until December 2024.
Stakes for Family Vaccine and Drug Decisions
If confirmed, Klomp would fill a post that has been vacant since February. A deputy secretary helps run a department that includes the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Decisions made there can affect which vaccines appear on federal schedules, how insurers approach coverage, and how Medicare handles drug prices for older adults.
A confirmation hearing does not change any policy. Parents with questions about their child's vaccines should talk with a pediatrician, and school vaccination requirements continue to be set by states. People on Medicare who want to understand drug pricing changes can review their plan materials before open enrollment begins on October 15.
For older adults, Klomp's Medicare record may matter as much as vaccines. The drug pricing agreements he helped negotiate are central to the administration's message on lowering costs, and the Finance Committee oversees Medicare.
The measles situation adds urgency to the vaccine debate. The CDC has confirmed 3,294 measles cases nationwide this year as of September 10, and the agency says two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing the disease.
Next Steps in the Confirmation Process
STAT described Wednesday's health committee session on Klomp as a courtesy hearing. The Finance Committee, which held Tuesday's confirmation hearing, would vote on advancing the nomination before any vote by the full Senate. The health committee's Wednesday agenda also includes Nicole Saphier, nominated for surgeon general, and Timothy Westlake, nominated to be assistant secretary for mental health and substance use.
Heidi Overton, Trump's pick to lead the FDA, was formally nominated Monday but was not on this week's confirmation hearing list, STAT reported.
Klomp's hearings test how much a deputy could shape vaccine policy under Kennedy. The central unknowns are how he answers senators' questions and whether his responses move any votes.
Key Questions Answered
Who is Chris Klomp? Klomp is President Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of Health and Human Services. He has served as Medicare director since April 2025 and was chosen in February to oversee HHS operations and advise Secretary Kennedy.
When are his hearings? The Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing on Tuesday, September 15. The Senate health committee is scheduled to hold its hearing on Wednesday, September 16.
What do Democrats plan to ask? According to Semafor, Democrats want to challenge the idea that Klomp would act as a moderating force on Kennedy's vaccine policies.
Does the hearing change vaccine recommendations? No. Confirmation hearings do not change policy. Families should continue to follow guidance from their child's clinician.
What is the deputy secretary's role? The deputy secretary helps run HHS, which includes the CDC, the FDA, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
What happens after the hearings? The Finance Committee would vote on advancing the nomination, followed by a possible vote by the full Senate.
