A group of nine former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came together to condemn Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his “unacceptable” tenure that “should alarm every American.”

The former directors began by listing what they view as Kennedy’s most egregious moves.

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“Mr. Kennedy has fired thousands of federal health workers and severely weakened programs designed to protect Americans from cancer, heart attacks, strokes, lead poisoning, injury, violence and more,” they wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times. “Amid the largest measles outbreak in the United States in a generation, he’s focused on unproven treatments while downplaying vaccines.”

“He canceled investments in promising medical research that will leave us ill-prepared for future health emergencies. He replaced experts on federal health advisory committees with unqualified individuals who share his dangerous and unscientific views. He announced the end of U.S. support for global vaccination programs that protect millions of children and keep Americans safe, citing flawed research and making inaccurate statements. And he championed federal legislation that will cause millions of people with health insurance through Medicaid to lose their coverage.”

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They said all of this culminated in the firing of CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez, which “adds considerable fuel to this raging fire.”

Firing Dr. Monarez — which led to the resignations of top CDC officials — adds considerable fuel to this raging fire. Monarez was fired after less than a month on the job for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” from Kennedy, according to her lawyers. Her dismissal led to a series of resignations by other top CDC officials, including out top official for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Demetre Daskalakis.

The former directors expressed deep fears over the consequences of Kennedy’s actions. “Residents of rural communities and people with disabilities will have even more limited access to health care,” they wrote. “Families with low incomes who rely most heavily on community health clinics and support from state and local health departments will have fewer resources available to them. Children risk losing access to lifesaving vaccines because of the cost.”

They detailed how they collectively have more than 100 years of experience working at the CDC and have served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, from the Jimmy Carter administration to the present day.

“When the CDC was created in 1946, the average life expectancy in the United States was around 66 years. Today it is more than 78 years,” the directors wrote. “While medical advances have helped, it is public health that has played the biggest role in improving both the length and the quality of life in our nation.”

“The CDC has led efforts to eradicate smallpox, increase access to lifesaving vaccinations, and significantly reduce smoking rates. The agency is also on the front lines in communities across the country, delivering crucial but often less visible wins — such as containing an outbreak of HIV cases in Scott County, Ind., and protecting residents in East Palestine, Ohio, from toxic chemical exposure.”

They added that Dr. Monarez’s departure “will make it far more difficult for the CDC to do what it has done for about 80 years: work around the clock to protect Americans from threats to their lives and health.”

They urged the American people and our representatives to “rally to protect” the country’s health.

“Congress must exercise its oversight authority over Health and Human Services. State and local governments must fill funding gaps where they can. Philanthropy and the private sector must step up their community investments. Medical groups must continue to stand up for science and truth. Physicians must continue to support their patients with sound guidance and empathy.”

The directors – Richard Besser, Mandy K. Cohen, William Foege, Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan, William Roper, David Satcher, Anne Schuchat, and Rochelle P. Walensky – also noted that even under the current president’s first administration, a belief in science and data-driven results still prevailed. That belief, they said, led to Operation Warp Speed’s creation of effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines.

Kennedy – a conspiracy theorist who has no background in medical science – has been a prominent voice in the anti-vaccine movement, which is based on pseudoscience and uses misinformation to spread the belief that vaccines don’t prevent disease. He formerly chaired the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization that claims that vaccines cause autism, ADHD, food allergies, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

Kennedy has also been spearheading the elimination of HIV and AIDS related programs; believes autism “destroys” children and families; and did nothing to stop the end of a federal crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. Nevertheless, he has positioned himself as a staunch defender of children’s health.

In May, Kennedy sent out a letter to health care providers and medical boards urging them to update treatment protocols for children with gender dysphoria and warning them not to rely on scientific evidence.

He has made several wild and unsubstantiated claims since assuming his role, such as that one of the consequences of food dyes is “an American teenager [today] has less testosterone than a 68-year-old man.”

He also recently claimed he knew American kids are struggling because he assesses them at airports and can tell they have “mitochondrial challenges,” a nonsensical phrase.

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