Over 1,000 HHS Employees Call for Secretary RFK Jr.’s Resignation Amid Public Health Concerns

More than 1,000 current and former employees of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) signed a scathing letter on Wednesday, September 3rd, demanding the immediate resignation of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The signatories, organized by the group Save HHS, accuse Secretary Kennedy of compromising the nation’s health and endangering the American people.

The letter, addressed to Kennedy and members of Congress, cites several critical actions and statements by the Secretary. Key among these are the ousting of newly-installed CDC Director Susan Monarez, followed by the resignations of four top CDC leaders, and Kennedy’s controversial decision in June to remove all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel (ACIP), replacing them with eight hand-selected individuals, many of whom have expressed vaccine-skeptical views. Specific new appointees, Dr. Robert Malone and Retsef Levi, are highlighted for promoting theories widely disputed by experts.

Furthermore, employees expressed dismay over Kennedy’s public comments, including an interview last month where he stated that trusting experts “is not a feature of either a science or democracy,” which staffers labeled as “ongoing verbal attacks” on the HHS workforce. The letter explicitly states that the employees signed in their personal capacity, without using government resources.

In response, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon defended Secretary Kennedy’s tenure, stating that the CDC “has been broken for a long time” and that Kennedy is committed to “sustained reform and more personnel changes” to restore trust. Nixon asserted that Kennedy and his team have accomplished more in seven months than any health secretary in history in the fight against chronic disease.

This latest call for resignation follows a letter sent last month, signed by over 750 staffers, urging Kennedy to cease spreading inaccurate health information. The new petition also comes just two days after nine former CDC directors published an op-ed in The New York Times echoing concerns about Kennedy’s impact on public health. The employees’ letter also references the August 8th shooting at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters, suggesting the incident, involving a gunman with grievances about the COVID-19 vaccine, was driven by “politicized rhetoric.”

The letter has been sent to key Congressional committees, including the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, urging them and President Trump to appoint a new health secretary if Kennedy refuses to step down.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.