Senators are asking for the shooting of RFK Jr.
Sen. Tina Smith called for the fire of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after comments linking antidepressants to violence.
A group of employees of more than 1,000 current and former Department of Health employees issued a letter on September 3 requesting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.
The release of the letter comes after Kennedy’s agency faced controversy over recent actions, such as cutting funds for mRNA vaccine development, and the White House’s recent actions, including the conflict that led to the fire of the Susan Monares Center, director of disease control and prevention.
A September 3 letter to Kennedy and members of Congress claims that the secretary “continues to put the country’s health at risk.”
“Our oath requires Americans to speak out when they violate the Constitution and are at risk,” the letter says. “We therefore warn that the actions of the President, Congress and Secretary Kennedy are undermining the health of the country and demand that Secretary Kennedy resign.”
With the exception of Kennedy’s resignation, the letter calls on Congress and President Donald Trump to appoint a new HHS secretary.
HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said in a statement to USA Today that Kennedy and his team “have achieved more than any health secretary in history in the fight to end the chronic disease epidemic and once again bring America to health.”
“From his first day in office, he pledged to confirm the assumptions at the door and asked all his HHS colleagues to do the same,” Nixon said.
Nixon also said, “Chief Kennedy was clear. The CDC has been broken for a long time. The world’s most trusted public health guardians will restore it to impose sustainable reforms and more HR changes.”
“HHS policy puts the health of all Americans at risk,” the employee’s letter says
Signatories of the September 3 letter said many of Kennedy’s actions put public health at risk. In addition to Monares’ firing, the letter also cited the resulting resignations of several top CDC officials.
“We believe health policies should be based on strong, evidence-based principles rather than partisan politics,” the letter states. “But under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS policies put the health of all Americans at risk, regardless of politics.”
Another group of former CDC leaders wrote an opinion piece that was published in the New York Times on September 1st.
The letter follows another from the HHS workers released in August
The push for Kennedy’s resignation comes after more than 800 current and former HHS employees similarly issued a letter on August 20th raising concerns about the national health policy.
The letter said anxiety has risen among HHS workers after being fatally shot and killed on August 8 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. DeKalb County police officer David Rose was killed in the shooting because he was responding to the scene, authorities said.
“The deliberate destruction of trust in the American public health workforce is putting lives at risk,” the letter on August 20th said. “We encourage you to act in the best interests of your friends, your family, yourself, and Americans.”
Trump appears to be sticking with RFK Junior.
The Trump administration has continued to support Kennedy’s work performance up until now.
“Secret Kennedy was the crown jewel of this administration, which is tirelessly working to improve public health for all Americans,” Stephen Miller, the deputy White House director of policy, told reporters on Aug. 29.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt defended Monales’ firing in a comment to a reporter on August 28th.
“It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly re-elected on November 5th,” Levitt said. “This woman has never received a vote in her life and the president has the authority to fire people who are not in line with his mission.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
Melina Kahn is a national trending reporter for USA Today. She can be contacted at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
