Nine Former CDC Directors Warn RFK Jr. Jeopardizes US Public Health

Nine former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a rare and dire warning about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership, describing it as unprecedented and harmful to American public health. They criticized Kennedy for firing CDC Director Susan Monarez, which led to multiple resignations, dismantling critical disease prevention programs, and promoting unproven treatments while downplaying vaccines amid a major measles outbreak. The former officials, with tenures spanning multiple administrations including President Trump's, accused Kennedy of undermining science-based policies, replacing experts with unqualified individuals, and supporting legislation that could reduce Medicaid coverage and strip millions of Americans of health insurance. They called his actions unacceptable and urged Congress, states, local governments, and the private sector to intervene to protect public health. The White House responded by naming Jim O'Neill as acting CDC director and affirming the president's authority to remove officials not aligned with his mission. This controversy has further destabilized the CDC and sparked widespread alarm across the political spectrum.