As a father, a physician, and a governor, I believe it’s my duty to protect people from health threats and to speak up for the safety of our nation.
That’s why I’m calling on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign as secretary of Health and Human Services. His actions as the nation’s top health official are not only misguided but dangerous. He should step aside before more damage is done to our health care system and before more American children lose their lives because of his policies.
Back in January, I warned that if Mr. Kennedy became secretary, “he would jeopardize half a century of progress and success gained by the United States as a result of vaccination programs. Too much depends on our commitment to truth and the lifesaving power of vaccines to entrust Mr. Kennedy with the direction of these programs. Our children’s lives depend on it.”
My concern came from firsthand experience. In 2019, Samoa suffered a deadly measles outbreak that infected more than 5,000 people and killed 83. This happened after vaccine misinformation, including from Mr. Kennedy and his organization, spread across the country. Vaccination rates dropped, trust collapsed, and the outbreak followed.
Unfortunately, my warning has come true.
The failed response to the measles outbreak
Today, the U.S. is facing its worst measles outbreak in a generation. In 2000, the World Health Organization declared measles eliminated in the U.S. That achievement has been undone in less than eight months under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership.
So far this year, there have been more than 1,400 confirmed measles cases in over 40 states. Many people have been hospitalized, and several have died. Entire school districts have shut down. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has even issued travel advisories inside our own country for the first time in decades. Parents are scared, doctors are overwhelmed, and confidence in our public health system has collapsed.
This crisis didn’t just happen—it’s the direct result of Secretary Kennedy’s choices. Instead of pushing proven solutions, he promoted unproven remedies like cod liver oil, vitamins, steroids, and antibiotics, while casting doubt on the MMR vaccine. That vaccine has been FDA-approved since 1971 and is the strongest protection we have against measles.
By downplaying vaccines, Secretary Kennedy allowed measles to spread farther and faster, putting countless lives—especially children—at risk.
Undermining scientific progress and trust in the CDC
Secretary Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda has set back years of medical progress.
In May, he canceled a nearly $600 million project to create a bird flu vaccine, despite warnings that the disease could spark another global pandemic. Just two months later, he ended almost $500 million in grants for developing mRNA vaccines, falsely claiming they don’t work for respiratory diseases like Covid and the flu.
He has also disrupted the CDC with sudden firings and mass resignations. In June, he dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with people who share his anti-vaccine views.
In August, Dr. Susan Monarez was fired less than a month after becoming CDC director, simply because she resisted efforts to limit vaccine access. Her removal led to more resignations and warnings that Mr. Kennedy was politicizing public health.
Earlier this month, nine former CDC directors from both Republican and Democratic administrations wrote an op-ed accusing Mr. Kennedy of crippling the CDC, dismantling vaccination programs worldwide, and endangering millions of lives. They said the damage caused to public health in just a few months was “unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency and unlike anything our country had ever experienced.”
By forcing conspiracy theories into national health policy, Mr. Kennedy has badly weakened trust in the CDC and harmed public health leadership.
An appeal to Secretary Kennedy: Step aside now
My call for Secretary Kennedy to resign is not about politics or personal attacks. It’s about protecting people’s health and safety.
Mr. Kennedy can still contribute on issues like processed foods, preservatives, and obesity. But he cannot continue as secretary of Health and Human Services. He has lost the trust of the medical community and the American public.
If he resigns, it would show that science still matters, that leaders are held accountable, and that children’s lives are too valuable to risk for ideology.
A new secretary—guided by evidence, not anti-vaccine beliefs—could rebuild vaccination programs, restore trust, and strengthen our health care system.
It would not undo all the harm, but it would be the first step toward healing and protecting Americans again.
