Medical groups, federal staffers call for RFK Jr to resign

The call for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to resign is becoming a clamour, with more than 20 public health and medical organisations issuing a statement saying his actions are putting American lives at risk.

The joint statement – signed by groups including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Public Health Association, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology – said Kennedy has to go to "restore the integrity, credibility, and science-driven mission of HHS and all its agencies."

Meanwhile, an open letter (PDF) from more than 1,000 federal workers also demanded Kennedy's resignation, after he ignored an earlier letter from around 750 staffers urging him to "cease endangering the nation's health by spreading inaccurate health information, affirm CDC's scientific integrity, and guarantee the safety of the HHS workforce."

The medical, health, and patient advocacy group have delivered a litany of criticism on Kennedy's recent actions, accusing him of "decimating" the capacity to make evidence-based vaccine recommendations, weakening initiatives on food safety, diagnostic testing, infection tracking, and chronic disease prevention, and reversing progress made in tackling the HIV epidemic.

"We are gravely concerned that American people will needlessly suffer and die as a result of policies that turn away from sound interventions," the organisations wrote.

"After careful consideration, we insist on Kennedy's resignation to restore the integrity, credibility, and science-driven mission of HHS and all its agencies. Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress, and decimate programmes that keep us safe."

At the same time, the workers' petition slammed Kennedy's role in facilitating the firing of the Senate-confirmed CDC director, Dr Susan Monarez, his appointment of "political ideologues who pose as scientific experts and manipulate data to fit predetermined conclusions," and claimed he is refusing to be briefed by CDC experts on vaccine-preventable diseases.

"To be clear, the HHS workforce is nonpartisan, implementing science-based policies developed under both Republican and Democratic administrations," the letter stated.

"We believe health policy should be based in strong, evidence-based principles, rather than partisan politics. But under Secretary Kennedy's leadership, HHS policies are placing the health of all Americans at risk, regardless of their politics."

The renewed criticism of Kennedy comes after nine former CDC directors said every American should be alarmed at what is happening at the HHS under Kennedy, calling on Congress to exercise its authority over the department.

In a social media post, Kennedy did not refer to the calls for him to step down, but repeated his claim that "bureaucracy, politicised science, and mission creep […] corroded [the CDC's] mission and destroyed public trust."

He added: "My mission is clear: restore the CDC's focus on infectious disease, drive innovation, and rebuild trust through transparency and competence."