Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family calls for his resignation
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Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. before the Senate Finance Committee. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sister and nephew called on the secretary to resign Friday after he questioned the safety of vaccination while testifying before a congressional committee.
Why it matters: The resignation calls came hours before President Trump broke with Kennedy by encouraging the public to take vaccines, and a day after several Republican members of the committee questioned the secretary's fitness following the upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What they're saying: "Medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership," Kerry Kennedy, Kennedy's sister, posted on X on Friday.
- "The decimation of critical institutions like the NIH and the CDC will lead to the loss of innocent lives. ...Enough is enough. Secretary Kennedy must resign," she wrote.
- Joe Kennedy III, a former U.S. congressman from Massachusetts and Kennedy's nephew, wrote on Friday that his uncle is "a threat to the health and well-being of every American."
- "The challenges before us — from disease outbreaks to mental health crises — demand moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact. Those values are not present in the Secretary's office. He must resign."
Driving the news: The secretary faced bipartisan criticism for his anti-vaccine views and general mistrust of modern medicine on Thursday during an often fiery hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.
- Senators called the secretary's recent firing of CDC director Susan Monarez concerning, and questioned why Kennedy was sowing doubt about COVID vaccines, despite their efficacy and safety.
The intrigue: Trump broke with his health secretary's anti-vaccine views on Friday, telling reporters that vaccines, "pure and simple," do work.
- "I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people."
Zoom out: Kennedy is no stranger to criticism from members of his famous family.
- During the 2024 election, roughly 50 Kennedys gathered with former President Joe Biden to show their support for the then-Democratic nominee after polls showed Kennedy's "spoiler" campaign for president could be eating into Biden's voter coalition.
- On a separate occasion, four of Kennedy's siblings condemned his presidential bid, posting in a joint statement that he "does not share the same values, vision or judgment" as their father, former Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Go deeper: RFK Jr.'s Senate hearing: COVID, CDC firings and more takeaways
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comments from Kerry Kennedy and President Trump.
