Over 1,000 HHS Workers Demand Kennedy's Resignation

SEP 3·UPDATED SEP 3

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Above: U.S. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a cabinet meeting Aug. 26, 2025. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Kennedy's reforms are essential to restore the CDC's credibility after decades of mission creep and politicized science that produced disastrous COVID policies. The agency has strayed from its core infectious disease mission, with only half its budget supporting that work and fewer than one in 10 employees being epidemiologists. Entrenched bureaucrats who resist necessary changes must be replaced to rebuild public trust that has collapsed.

The Wall Street Journal

Democratic narrative

Kennedy must step down. His dangerous crusade against vaccines threatens to bring back diseases that have been virtually eliminated through safe and effective immunization programs. His cuts to nearly $500 million in pandemic research funding and restrictions on COVID vaccines will make Americans more vulnerable to future health crises. Kennedy continues to spread conspiracy theories that put lives at risk, and he can't be trusted to lead the HHS.

The New York Times