Hundreds of HHS Workers Accuse RFK Jr. of Destroying Public Health Trust After CDC Attack

Over 750 current and former HHS employees signed an open letter blaming Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for spreading health misinformation and fostering a climate of mistrust that contributed to the August 8, 2025, attack on the CDC's Atlanta headquarters14.

The letter accuses Kennedy of being 'complicit in dismantling America's public health infrastructure and endangering the nation's health' by repeatedly promoting inaccurate claims—especially about vaccine safety and efficacy, including falsely linking autism to vaccines and undermining mRNA COVID-19 vaccines2345.

Signatories cite Kennedy's inflammatory rhetoric (e.g., calling the CDC a 'cesspool of corruption'), his termination of key HHS and CDC staff, and the disbanding of a critical vaccine advisory committee as actions that intensified public hostility toward federal health workers345.

The August 8 CDC attack—which involved nearly 200 gunshots, resulting in a police officer's death—was directly referenced by the signers as a manifestation of the hostile climate created by politicized health debates234.

The letter demands that Kennedy publicly disavow health misinformation, affirm scientific integrity, improve emergency safety procedures, and remove online content targeting federal workers, including 'DEI watchlists'1.

Sources:

1. https://www.axios.com/2025/08/20/hhs-workers-kennedy-violence-cdc

2. https://www.biospace.com/policy/hundreds-of-hhs-staffers-accuse-rfk-jr-of-sowing-public-mistrust-against-cdc-after-shooting-at-q

3. https://hlth.com/insights/news/hhs-workers-demand-rfk-jr-stop-spreading-misinformation-after-cdc-attack-2025-08-22

4. https://time.com/7311308/rfk-jr-misinformation-cdc-shooting-letter/

5. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/750-hhs-employees-send-signed-letter-rfk-jr/story?id=124805697