Sen. Bernie Sanders is demanding the resignation of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of undermining public health through vaccine skepticism, conspiracy theories, and policy decisions that he says threaten millions of Americans.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, is endangering the health of the American people now and into the future. He must resign,” the Vermont independent senator and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions wrote in an opinion piece published Saturday in The New York Times.
Sanders pointed to a recent shake-up at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as what he said is evidence of Kennedy’s disregard for science.
He said Kennedy forced out CDC Director Susan Monarez after less than a month in office because she resisted his policies, prompting the resignation of four senior officials. One of them claimed Kennedy’s team pressured him to “change studies that have been settled in the past” to align with Kennedy’s long-standing anti-vaccine views, Sanders added.
“This is not Making America Healthy Again,” Sanders said, referencing the Trump administration’s slogan.
The senator contrasted Kennedy’s views with the consensus of the medical community.
“It is absurd to have to say this in 2025, but vaccines are safe and effective,” Sanders wrote, citing endorsements from leading organizations.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has called immunizations “one of the greatest public health achievements,” while the American Medical Association described vaccines for flu, RSV, and COVID-19 as “the best tools to protect the public against these illnesses,” Sanders noted.
He added that the World Health Organization recently estimated that vaccines have saved 154 million lives over the past 50 years and cut infant deaths by 40%.
Sanders also criticized Kennedy’s repeated claims that vaccines cause autism, noting numerous studies he said disprove a link. He pointed to Kennedy’s assertions that COVID-19 vaccines were the “deadliest ever made” and his suggestion that the polio vaccine killed more people than the disease itself, calling such claims “absurd.”
“Who supports Secretary Kennedy’s views? Not credible scientists and doctors,” Sanders said. Instead, he argued, Kennedy’s allies come largely from Children’s Health Defense — the anti-vaccine group Kennedy founded — and a small circle of loyalists who have long promoted misinformation.
Sanders warned that Kennedy’s influence is already reducing access to vaccines. He said the administration has scaled back COVID-19 vaccine availability, particularly for younger and healthier Americans, creating new costs and hurdles for families.
“This means more doctors’ visits, more bureaucracy, and more people paying higher out-of-pocket costs — if they can manage to get a vaccine at all,” Sanders wrote.
Looking ahead, Sanders expressed concern that Kennedy may next target the childhood immunization schedule, risking the return of diseases like measles and polio. He also noted Kennedy recently canceled nearly $500 million in vaccine research funding and cut state grants meant to prepare for infectious disease outbreaks.
“Unfortunately, Secretary Kennedy’s actions are making a worrisome situation even worse,” he said.
Sanders tied Kennedy’s leadership to the Trump administration’s health agenda, which includes more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
He warned that those cuts would push an estimated 15 million people off their health insurance; raise premiums for millions more; and force closures or service reductions at nursing homes, hospitals, and community health centers.
“Secretary Kennedy is putting Americans’ lives in danger, and he must resign,” Sanders concluded, urging President Donald Trump to appoint new leaders who would follow the guidance of doctors and scientists rather than promote conspiracy theories.
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