More than 1,000 current and former HHS employees wrote to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., asserting that his leadership has endangered the health of Americans and demanding his resignation. The employees cited the ouster of newly confirmed CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez after she resisted pressure to approve potential vaccine restrictions, the resignations of four other senior CDC officials, the appointment of ideological figures to vaccine policy roles, and the rescinding of Covid-19 emergency use authorizations without disclosed data or methods. Hundreds of HHS staffers had previously urged Kennedy to stop spreading inaccurate health information and to ensure employee safety after an August 8 shooting. HHS responded that Kennedy stands with CDC employees and warned against politicizing the shooting.
"Secretary Kennedy continues to endanger the nation's health," the employees wrote in Wednesday's letter, citing actions including the facilitation of Monarez's firing, the resignations of key, longtime CDC leaders, the appointment of what they called "political ideologues" to influential roles in vaccine policy, and the rescinding of emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines without, they said, "providing the data or methods used to reach such a decision."
"The letter, which was also addressed to members of Congress, comes after a tumultuous week at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that saw its newly confirmed director, Dr. Susan Monarez, declared to be fired by the Trump administration, spurring the resignations of four other senior officials at the public health agency. Monarez was ousted after refusing to bend to pressure from top HHS officials to sign off on potential new vaccine restrictions, according to people familiar with the matter."
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