Former health directors warn RFK Jr. is jeopardizing US public health

Nine former directors of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a rare joint warning on Monday, accusing vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of dismantling the nation’s premier public health institution and “endangering every American’s health.”

Their sharply worded opinion piece in The New York Times came just days after President Donald Trump fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, who reportedly refused to back Kennedy’s proposed vaccination policy changes. Monarez’s dismissal prompted at least four senior officials to resign, leaving the agency in further turmoil.

“We ran the CDC: Kennedy is endangering every American’s health,” the nine former leaders wrote, emphasizing that the current upheaval “is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced.”

The essay, signed by former CDC heads who served under presidents from Jimmy Carter through Trump, accused Kennedy of gutting the agency by laying off thousands of federal health workers, dismantling critical disease prevention programs, and prioritizing “unproven ‘treatments’ while downplaying vaccines” even as the nation battles its worst measles outbreak in decades. They also criticized him for backing legislation expected to strip millions of Americans of health insurance.

“This is unacceptable, and it should alarm every American, regardless of political leanings,” said the group, which included Dr. Anne Schuchat, who briefly led the CDC during Trump’s first term.

The backlash follows another high-profile resignation: Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, stepped down after Monarez’s firing, declaring that “the firewall between science and ideology has completely broken down” at the agency.

Amid the controversy, Trump weighed in on Truth Social, calling for answers about experimental COVID-19 treatments rolled out during the pandemic. “Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree!” he wrote. “With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW.”