Ex-CDC Leaders Condemn Health Secretary for Jeopardizing Public Health
(MENAFN) Nine former leaders of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have publicly condemned U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for actions they claim jeopardize the health and safety of Americans.
In an opinion article published Monday in The New York Times, the group, which includes seven former directors and two former acting directors, expressed concern over what they viewed as the extensive consequences of Kennedy’s recent actions on the country’s public health infrastructure.
The essay asserts: "What the health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has done to the CDC and to our nation's public health system over the past several months — culminating in his decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez as CDC director days ago — is unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency and unlike anything our country had ever experienced."
The former CDC officials specifically criticized Kennedy for firing thousands of health workers and dismantling critical disease prevention programs, warning that these moves undermine vital defenses against major health threats, including cancer, heart disease, lead poisoning, and infectious disease outbreaks.
Further, they pointed out Kennedy’s promotion of unverified treatments and his dismissive stance on vaccines, amid the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in a generation. His cancellation of investments in vital medical research, replacement of seasoned experts on federal health committees with unqualified individuals, and the cessation of U.S. support for global vaccination initiatives were also highlighted as deeply concerning.
The group warned that such actions would leave the country vulnerable to future public health crises, placing particularly high risks on vulnerable groups such as children, low-income families, and people with disabilities.
Monarez's legal team echoed these concerns, accusing Kennedy of "weaponizing public health for political gain" and stating that his purge of health officials had put "millions of American lives at risk."
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