It’s Time

for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

to Resign

On September 3, 2025, over 1,000 current and former HHS staff released the following letter formally calling for the resignation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. from his position as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Subject: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Workers Call for Secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr.'s Resignation 

To: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Members of the 119th U.S. Congress 

Date: September 3rd, 2025 

Following the August 8th attack on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 750 current and former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) workers sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. That letter urged the Secretary to cease endangering the nation’s health by spreading inaccurate health information, affirm CDC’s scientific integrity, and guarantee the safety of the HHS workforce. Since the letter's release on August 20th, the number of signatories has grown to 6,370, with 887 from HHS.

But Secretary Kennedy continues to endanger the nation’s health by:

  • Facilitating the firing of the Senate-confirmed CDC director, Dr. Susan Monarez. 

  • Causing the resignations of Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr Debra Houry, CDC’s chief medical officer and former director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

  • Appointing political ideologues who pose as scientific experts and manipulate data to fit predetermined conclusions, such as:

  • Refusing to be briefed by well-regarded CDC experts on vaccine-preventable diseases. 

  • Disregarding the President’s Executive Order, “Restoring Gold Standard Science in America”, which has called for transparent science, subject to unbiased peer-review, collaborative and interdisciplinary, and free from conflict of interest. 

  • Rescinding the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines without providing the data or methods used to reach such a decision.

  • Disparaging the American Academy of Pediatrics for recommending the COVID-19 vaccine in children.

  • Making misleading claims about physician and hospital liability for following evidence-based vaccine guidance that he opposes. 

  • Disregarding his HHS workforce with his ongoing verbal attacks by stating, “Trusting experts is not a feature of either a science or democracy.”

Secretary Kennedy did not respond to the letter, and HHS released a statement accusing us of politicizing a tragedy. To be clear, the HHS workforce is nonpartisan, implementing science-based policies developed under both Republican and Democratic administrations. We believe health policy should be based on strong, evidence-based principles rather than partisan politics. But under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS policies are placing the health of all Americans at risk, regardless of their politics. 

We swore an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution and to serve the American people. Our oath requires us to speak out when the Constitution is violated and the American people are put at risk. Thus, 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.

Should he decline to resign, we call upon the President and U.S. Congress to appoint a new Secretary of Health and Human Services, one whose qualifications and experience ensure that health policy is informed by independent and unbiased peer-reviewed science. We expect those in leadership to act when the health of Americans is at stake. 

We ask other partner organizations to join us in our call for Secretary Kennedy’s resignation and stand in solidarity with those who have already: 

  1. Accountability Journalism Institute: Scientific Advisory Board: https://www.change.org/p/demand-rfk-jr-resign-petition-for-a-healthy-america

  2. Stand Up for Science: https://www.standupforscience.net/rfk-impeachment-citizens-petition

  3. 5 Calls: https://5calls.org/issue/rfk-hhs-autism-registry-vaccines/

  4. American Public Health Association: https://www.apha.org/news-and-media/newsreleases/apha-news-releases/kennedy-attack-on-public-health  

  5. National Nurses United: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nations-largest-rn-uniontime-for-dhs-secretary-rfk-jr-to-go

  6. Doctors for America: https://doctorsforamerica.org/statement-release-rfk-resignation/ 

We sign this declaration in our own personal capacities, on our personal time, and without the use of government equipment, as protected by our First Amendment rights. In addition to the named signers, we include anonymous signers and speak for countless others across HHS who share our concerns but who chose not to sign out of well-founded fear of retaliation and threats to personal safety. 

Total number of signers: 1040

Representing the following agencies: Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Community Living (ACL), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Assistant Secretary for Technology/Policy (ASTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Indian Health Service (IHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Secretary (OS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA).

***Signatures were provided solely to members of Congress in order to safeguard the privacy and security of those who chose to sign the letter***

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