FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
April 15, 2025
Doctors for America Calls for the Resignation or Removal of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is unfit to serve as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. Since taking office, he has used his position to advance health misinformation, dismantle public health services, and undermine HHS’s mission to “to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans.” His failure to endorse evidence-based medicine amidst a growing measles outbreak should immediately disqualify him from continuing to lead this Agency. His further actions to suppress information that is incongruous with his personal beliefs and participation in the reckless dismantling of essential health services demonstrates a lack of fitness to lead an agency whose work is to provide “effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.” In the interest of our patients and the health of all Americans, Doctors for America calls for the resignation or removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary, echoing the American Public Health Association and their recent statement doing so.
As our nation faces critical public health challenges, HHS leadership must be rooted in science, not misinformation. The uncontrolled measles outbreak has now resulted in 3 deaths, including 2 children, led to the exposure of newborn infants in a nursery in Texas, and continues to worsen. In responding to the first measles-related child death in the U.S. in a decade, Secretary Kennedy blamed malnutrition without providing any evidence and initially dismissed the outbreak as “not unusual.” He undermined vaccine safety by incorrectly claiming that the vaccine causes “deaths every year” as well as “all the illnesses that measles itself can cause.” Even while acknowledging that vaccination prevents measles, he cherry-picked facts to support inaccurate claims about vaccine-induced immunity, and support unproven remedies like cod-liver oil. Because he holds a position of scientific and medical authority, parents have believed his claims, which has directly caused additional undue harm among affected children due to delayed care and liver damage associated with toxic vitamin A levels from parents using the supplements Kennedy endorsed to try to prevent measles. Moreover, cancellation of CDC grants resulted in the cancellation of 50 vaccine clinics in Texas, including at schools with lower vaccination rates, while CDC cuts included staff working on the outbreak response. Simultaneously, the CDC suppressed a report that emphasized the importance of vaccination. Secretary Kennedy’s repeated dismissal of rigorous research weakens vaccine trust, endangers public health, and puts vulnerable communities at risk. Any statement short of affirming the MMR vaccine is safe and explicitly recommending parents vaccinate their children has been a dereliction of his duty as HHS Secretary. All measles deaths are preventable with vaccination.
Since his confirmation, Secretary Kennedy has backtracked on his pledges to carry out departmental work with “radical transparency” and to uphold vaccine approval and safety systems. During his bid to gain Senate support for his nomination, Kennedy vowed not to challenge the childhood immunization schedule, a promise he broke promptly after stepping into his new role at HHS. Similarly, his department postponed the publicly broadcast February Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting without explanation, despite promising no changes. He also canceled the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting, replacing it with an ad hoc gathering that excluded independent experts and lacked public transparency. HHS has further silenced public input by eliminating notice and comment on key decisions. In an effort to censor research, Secretary Kennedy has mandated politically motivated scrutiny of work that touches on any topic deemed to be “controversial, high profile, or sensitive.”
Secretary Kennedy’s oversight of the recent firing of 10,000 employees across the CDC, FDA, and NIH, without replacement, acts in direct violation of his charge as a steward of the health of the nation. His celebration of the firings shows a callous disrespect for the service of thousands of dedicated public servants. His tenure thus far has resulted in the disruption of vaccine and medication safety and approval pathways, the dismantling of essential public health services, and the erosion of food safety. That these actions were taken without a measured understanding of the immediate and long term harms they will inflict on the health of all Americans demonstrates a lack of insight into the importance of the people or programs he is tasked to lead. And as of now, he has not responded to an invitation from the Senate committee overseeing HHS to explain the drastic overhaul at HHS.
Public health is not a political issue—it is a matter of science and responsibility. Americans deserve an HHS Secretary who prioritizes facts and evidence-based medicine to guide policies intended to protect the well-being of the American people. Secretary Kennedy’s words and actions are in direct conflict with the mission of HHS. For the safety and well-being of our patients and our nation, we call on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign or be removed, and we urge the administration and congress to appoint a leader who is dedicated to the mission of improving the health of all Americans through the use of science and evidence-based medicine. The health of our nation depends on it.
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About Doctors for America:
Doctors for America mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. DFA is an organization of over 27,000 physician and medical student advocates in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. DFA teaches physicians and medical students advocacy skills and does advocacy at a state and federal level. Our impact areas focus on access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine, and does not accept any funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies, which uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits.
Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on Twitter drsforamerica or Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.