Who Has Called for Health Secretary Kennedy to Resign? See the List

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing calls for his resignation after he testified before the Senate Finance Committee, which occurred amid his effort to reshape leadership at the u.s. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Newsweek reached out to the White House outside of normal business hours on Sunday afternoon for comment.

Why It Matters

Kennedy Jr. abruptly removed CDC Director Susan Monarez from her position last month, prompting three senior leaders from the agency to resign in protest. Monarez had held her position for about a month before she was removed.

Kennedy Jr. initially did not give a reason for her removal, but during his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, he claimed that Monarez was not “trustworthy.”

“I told her that she had to resign because I asked her, ‘Are you a trustworthy person?’ And she said, ‘no.'”

He also said at a press conference in Texas last week that “there’s a lot of trouble at the CDC and it’s going to require getting rid of some people over the long term, in order for us to change the institutional culture.”

However, Monarez’s lawyers say she refused to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.”

Kennedy Jr.’s testimony proved tumultuous as committee members grilled him not only on his decision to remove Monarez but also on a number of other policy decisions they deemed concerning.

Democrats Seek Kennedy Jr.’s Resignation

Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee released a statement following the testimony, calling Kennedy Jr. “unfit to serve” in his role.

“The actions Robert Kennedy has taken since he was sworn in reinforce the danger he poses to the health of America,” the committee members wrote, in part.

“Robert Kennedy has failed to protect the health of the American people and endangers the lives of all Americans, particularly children, people with disabilities, and vulnerable Americans,” the statement added. “Robert Kennedy must resign, and if he doesn’t, Trump should fire him before more American families are hurt by his reckless disregard for science and the truth.”

All but one of the Democratic senators on the committee signed the letter, including:

• Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ranking Member
• Michael Bennet of Colorado
• Mark Warner of Virginia
• Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
• Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
• Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• Tina Smith of Minnesota
• Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico
• Raphael Warnock of Georgia
• Peter Welch of Vermont
• Maria Cantwell of Washington

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, also signed the letter. Only Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island did not sign the letter, but did reiterate that he voted against Kennedy Jr.’s nomination and insisted “he never should have been confirmed.”

Senator Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat, added her voice to the calls for resignation, writing in a post on X that she had “serious doubts about CDC Director Monarez’s willingness to stand up against RFK Jr.’s personal mission to destroy public health in America—I’m glad that I was wrong. If there are any adults left in the White House: we cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of CDC. FIRE HIM.”

Representative John Larson, a Connecticut Democrat, also released a statement calling for Kennedy to step down after he “doubled down on his anti-vaccine purge at the [CDC].”

Republicans Frustrated But Not Yet Seeking Resignation

While some Republicans have expressed growing frustration with Kennedy Jr., none have outright called for him to step down from his post.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana who is also a physician, criticized him for canceling mRNA vaccine research and development contracts, despite the praise heaped on Trump’s first administration for developing such a vaccine to help the U.S. through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina questioned Kennedy Jr. on how his opinion about Monarez so swiftly shifted from calling her “unimpeachable” and “a long-time champion of MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] values” to calling her untrustworthy.

“I do also believe that some of your statements seem to contradict what you said in the prior hearing,” Tillis said, citing the secretary’s claim he would not “impose my belief,” which the senator called “contradictory” to several of Kennedy Jr.’s recent actions.

Most prominently, Senator John Barrasso, an orthopedic surgeon and Senate Republican Whip, said he is now “deeply concerned” that Kennedy Jr. is not keeping to his promise made during his confirmation hearings that he would “uphold the highest standards for vaccines.”

“Americans don’t know who to rely on,” Barasso said. “If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’t allow public health to be undermined.”

Health Experts Express Alarm Over Kennedy Jr.’s Comments

More than 1,000 current and former employees of the HHS called for Kennedy Jr. to resign in an open letter released on Wednesday, citing what they said were actions that continue “to endanger the nation’s health.”

A related petition calling for his resignation gained over 6,000 signatures, including 887 from HHS, since it was put up online.

“We warn the President, Congress, and the Public that Secretary Kennedy’s actions are compromising the health of this nation, and we demand Secretary Kennedy’s resignation,” the September 3 letter said.

Health department employees are also on edge after a lone shooter attacked the CDC headquarters last month, shooting more than 180 rounds into the campus and killing a police officer, prompting staff to beg for Kennedy Jr. to stop sharing “inaccurate health information.”

What Other People Are Saying

Some family members of Kennedy Jr.’s have called him a “threat” to Americans’ health and called for him to resign.

His nephew, former Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III of Massachusetts, wrote on X that the secretary “is a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American,” adding, “None of us will be spared the pain he is inflicting.”

Kerry Kennedy, the secretary’s sister, echoed the sentiment, saying that “medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership.”

What Happens Next?

It remains to be seen if Trump steps in or if Kennedy Jr. will change course on any of the actions taken or decisions made in the past few weeks.

Trump most recently indicated he intends to back Kennedy Jr., telling reporters that the secretary is “a very good person…and he means very well, and he’s got some little different ideas,” according to Reuters.

He added: “If you look at what’s going on in the world with health and look at this country also with regard to health, I like the fact that he’s different.”

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.