Ben Cohen, 74, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s and a long-time progressive activist, was arrested on Tuesday after disrupting a Senate hearing led by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The protest was aimed at condemning U.S. military support for Israel and domestic funding cuts to Medicaid.
Kennedy was presenting the department’s proposed 2026 budget when the session was suddenly interrupted by a group of protestors shouting, “RFK kills people with AIDS.” Taken aback, Kennedy briefly halted his remarks as Senate security moved in.
Among the protestors was Cohen, who shouted, “Congress sends bombs that kill children in Gaza and pays for it by cutting Medicaid.” He was forcibly removed from the chamber by Capitol security.
Cohen later posted a video of the incident on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating:
“I told Congress they’re killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they’re paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities’ response.”
The protest comes amid growing grassroots opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel, particularly in the wake of ongoing violence in Gaza. Cohen, known for fusing business with activism through his iconic ice cream brand, has increasingly taken direct action on issues of foreign policy and social justice.
While no formal charges were immediately announced, Capitol police confirmed that
