Report says Jim O'Neill's time at HHS is nearing its end
HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill.
HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is shuffling the leadership of the department, according to media reports, with Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill – also head of the CDC – said to be on the way out.
Politico has said that O'Neill and HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart are leaving their current roles as part of a broader shake-up of leadership at the department, citing people familiar with the matter. They are being offered other jobs within the Trump administration, according to the report.
Late last week, HHS also announced that Chris Klomp will become chief counsellor, overseeing all department operations, while Kyle Diamantas and Grace Graham have been named senior counsellors for the FDA, and John Brooks has been appointed to the same role for CMS.
Kennedy said the reshuffle is "restoring accountability, challenging entrenched interests, and putting the health of the American people first." There has been speculation that the administration is placing its health policies front and centre, as support for Trump among the US electorate is plunging and with the midterm elections looming in November.
O'Neill has served as deputy to Kennedy at HHS since June 2025, and had his role expanded to include CDC Director a few weeks later, but according to a CNN report was viewed as a "shaky" communicator and has barely been present at the agency. His predecessor as CDC Director, Dr Susan Monarez, was fired after refusing to resign, under pressure, for not supporting what she claimed were unscientific directives at the department.
He has proved a controversial choice, given his background as a tech investor, with no medical or scientific background, and what is viewed as unquestioning support of Kennedy's sweeping changes to childhood immunisation schedules.
That includes a shift from the CDC recommending childhood vaccines directly to a policy of "shared clinical decision-making," which experts argue has effectively downgraded a raft of vaccines – including shots for rotavirus, influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, and meningococcal disease – without restricting insurance cover and leading to allegations that the administration is removing access.
O'Neill was quizzed closely by lawmakers during Congressional hearings that preceded his appointment, where he expressed strong support for vaccination, but adopted a similar stance to Kennedy in saying he was not in favour of government-mandated programmes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, O'Neill was also a critic of the CDC and voiced support for unproven remedies such as ivermectin.
