DeLauro Calls for RFK Jr. to be Fired

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released the following statement calling for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be fired:

“RFK Jr. has no scientific or medical expertise. He pushes dangerous and deadly conspiracies and spreads lies and misinformation. Now, we are seeing the consequence of his leadership at HHS. We know his agenda – he wants to take away lifesaving vaccines from kids and families. But there are principled experts, like the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Susan Monarez, who refused to rubber-stamp RFK Jr’s plans that would hurt millions of children.

“Last night, Dr. Monarez was fired for refusing to sign off on RFK Jr.’s ideological anti-vaccine agenda. 

“And yesterday, three of CDC’s foremost experts on influenza, respiratory diseases, and infectious diseases chose to resign rather than accede to RFK Jr.’s unscientific and dangerous demands to restrict access to lifesaving vaccines for children.

“In his resignation letter, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, issued a dire warning about the tragic outcome of the ideological agenda being pushed by RFK Jr. and his acolytes:  ‘Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability for vulnerable children and adults.’

“RFK Jr. has already set us back decades. He’s fired scientific experts who keep Americans safe from infectious diseases, including HIV, Tuberculosis, and measles. We have already seen a resurgence of, and deaths caused by, measles—a disease that had been eliminated in America—and because of him, we will see new disease outbreaks going forward. He has pushed out world-class scientists who are working on cures and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other debilitating diseases.

“Yesterday’s firing of the CDC Director, and the resignations of top CDC experts, shows us what is at stake and the urgency with which we must act. RFK Jr. was never qualified to be Secretary of HHS, and he never should have been allowed to set foot in the building. The longer we wait, the more lives we risk.

“It is time for RFK Jr. to be fired.”

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