(Bloomberg) — US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn’t sufficiently aligned with President Donald Trump’s agenda and it needs an overhaul, a day after the White House fired the director following an intense clash over vaccines.
Kennedy said in a Fox News interview Thursday the agency is likely suffering from a “deeply embedded malaise” and it’s made numerous critical errors, such as its stance toward mask wearing and testing during the Covid pandemic. He also slammed a page on the agency’s website over the top 10 medical innovations in the last century, which includes flouride in water.
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The secretary added he’s “not surprised” over the current staff upheaval at the CDC. On Wednesday, the White House said CDC Director Susan Monarez was no longer serving in her role. She was ousted by the Trump administration following a clash with Kennedy over his critical view of vaccines, people familiar with the matter said.
Attorneys representing Monarez said that she was being “targeted” because she “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” Following the apparent firing, three other top CDC officials resigned, with some openly condemning Kennedy while doing so.
“Some people should not be working there,” Kennedy said, in response to a question about the resignations.
The HHS secretary, a longtime vaccine critic, has sought changes at the agency around immunizations that have alarmed public health experts. He fired a panel of experts who make recommendations on which vaccines Americans should get and replaced them with people who have questioned the safety of shots. Kennedy also limited which people can get Covid boosters this fall without first speaking to a doctor to those 65 and over or with underlying conditions. Last year, no one over 6 months had to consult with a physician to get a Covid booster.
Medical groups have called Kennedy’s tougher stance on vaccines dangerous and have recommended most people still get Covid boosters and other shots.
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