RFK Jr Must be Stopped September 2, 2025

As an organization dedicated to protecting human life from the gravest threats to health and survival, Physicians for Social Responsibility joins leading medical and health experts and public health organizations sounding the alarm about the reckless leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and we call for him to resign or be removed from office immediately. At this critical moment, when the public is already facing overlapping health crises driven by climate change, pollution, and environmental injustice, the spread of medical disinformation poses a grave and immediate threat to people’s lives.

RFK Jr’s unwarranted and arbitrary dismissal of CDC Director, Dr. Susan Monarez, is yet another manifestation of his reckless mismanagement and prioritization of politics over science. The subsequent resignation of other senior CDC leaders underscores the Secretary’s misguided efforts to base vital public health decisions, like vaccinations, on pseudoscience and conspiracy. 

In December, PSR spoke out against Kennedy’s nomination as HHS Secretary, and hundreds of you reached out to members of Congress expressing your concerns. In February, we organized a public letter opposing his confirmation, together with our network of PSR chapters and partner organizations. In the months since, we have been outraged at his dismantling of trusted public health agencies, including important programs on climate and environmental health and protections for nuclear workers. He has unlawfully terminated the jobs of vital public health employees, defunded critical biomedical research, and championed legislation that will cut millions of Americans from Medicaid. These actions put vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and immunocompromised individuals, at heightened risk of preventable illness and death. Such leadership is fundamentally incompatible with the mission of protecting and promoting public health.

Public trust is the foundation of effective health protection. By exploiting his position to advance disinformation, Mr. Kennedy has eroded that trust and jeopardized the health of the very communities he claims to serve. Physicians for Social Responsibility calls on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign immediately or be removed from office.

This Thursday, Secretary Kennedy is scheduled to appear before the Senate Finance Committee. I urge you, our members and supporters, to contact your Senators’ offices and demand Congressional oversight and accountability. The Congressional switchboard is (202) 224-3121.

As a community of health professionals, we raise our voices in support of science and integrity, and we stand together with all those who dedicate their lives to medical research and compassionate care, and who serve as trusted messengers to both patients and public decision makers. I invite you to stand with us, take action with us, and share this message with colleagues who are looking for a community that is speaking boldly and pushing back against attacks on science and public health. Together, we can make a difference.