Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling on President Donald Trump to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., escalating a growing rift inside the Republican coalition over abortion policy and the federal government’s handling of the abortion pill mifepristone. (WV News)
Pence’s advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom (AAF), released a memo on December 15, 2025, arguing Kennedy has not delivered for anti-abortion voters and should be removed. In a statement published alongside the memo, Pence said pro-life voters were key to Trump’s return to office “last November,” but Kennedy has been “unable or unwilling” to fulfill commitments that social conservatives see as essential—especially a promised review of mifepristone’s safety. (Advancing American Freedom)
“Secretary Kennedy should step aside and give President Trump the opportunity to select a new HHS Secretary who will deliver pro-life results for the American people,” Pence said. (Advancing American Freedom)
The flashpoint: mifepristone review delays
The immediate trigger is the pace of the government’s safety review of mifepristone, a pill used in medication abortions (typically alongside misoprostol). Reuters reported on December 8, 2025 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration postponed a safety review at the request of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, with the delay reportedly intended to push the review until after midterm elections—an allegation the administration disputes. (Reuters)
In the same Reuters report, an HHS spokesperson said the FDA’s reviews “take the time necessary to get the science right,” and that Makary is ensuring that process. (Reuters)
Pence’s group argues that the delay—combined with other decisions it opposes—amounts to a betrayal of what anti-abortion voters believed they were getting from a Trump administration. AAF’s statement says Kennedy has not met “the bare minimum” expectations of many pro-life advocates. (Advancing American Freedom)
“RFK Jr must go”
In its memo, AAF used unusually sharp language for a critique aimed at a sitting cabinet secretary, describing Kennedy as a “progressive wolf in pro-life sheep’s clothing,” and arguing he should be ousted. (WV News)
The memo’s closing line framed the dispute as a test of accountability inside the administration: “Republicans gave RFK Jr a chance and he has failed,” it concludes, adding that Kennedy “must go.” (WV News)
The RealClearWire report describing the memo also notes that anti-abortion advocates had already been pressuring Makary and the White House about the review, and that Pence’s move effectively raises the stakes by targeting Makary’s boss. (WV News)
A coalition under strain
The fight underscores a broader tension inside Trump’s governing coalition: social conservatives want rapid action on abortion restrictions and abortion-drug access, while Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda has emphasized public health priorities such as food ingredients and other issues that aren’t centered on abortion policy. (WV News)
AP’s national “Latest” roundup also highlighted Pence’s call as part of the week’s major political developments, noting that Kennedy and Makary have faced mounting pressure from abortion opponents to speed up the mifepristone review. (AP News)
Whether Trump will act on Pence’s demand is unclear. But Pence’s intervention is significant: it comes from a former vice president who once helped reassure religious conservatives about Trump’s priorities, and it places the president under public pressure from a high-profile figure tied closely to the modern GOP’s anti-abortion movement. (WV News)
