Jul 16, 2025 - Health

RFK Jr. shakes up top staff at health department

Tina Reed

.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a roundtable discussion. — Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shaken up his top staff just months into his tenure atop the Health and Human Services Department.

Why it matters: Kennedy's time atop the huge federal health bureaucracy has already been marked by tensions with the White House over the measles outbreak, controversial vaccine policy changes and sweeping layoffs and grant cuts.

Driving the news: Kennedy this week ousted his chief of staff Heather Flick Melanson and deputy chief of staff for policy Hannah Anderson after losing confidence in them, CNN first reported, citing sources familiar.

An HHS spokesman confirmed Kennedy made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary and that HHS' White House Liaison Matt Buckham will serve as Acting Chief of Staff.
Buckham was overseeing the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across the agency.
"Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their service and looks forward to working closely with Mr. Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again," the spokesman said.

Flick Melanson served in a variety of senior HHS positions during the first Trump administration under then-Health Secretary Alex Azar.

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RFK Jr. shakes up top staff at health department

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