Kennedy Jr. said ending the measles outbreak in Texas is a top priority for him and listed the steps his agency had taken to combat the spread of disease, including supporting the state’s vaccine efforts.

I do blame him and others like him who, for the past 20 years, have been spreading lies about vaccines," said Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.).

Kennedy Jr. earlier this week dismissed the measles outbreak in West Texas that killed an unvaccinated child as "not unusual" and appeared to misstate a number of key facts. Kennedy, a vaccine critic,