U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has escalated his criticism of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding his resignation in the wake of turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, is endangering the health of the American people now and into the future. He must resign,” Sanders wrote in a New York Times op-ed on Saturday. The statement followed his Thursday letter to HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), in which he requested a bipartisan investigation into Kennedy’s policies and the abrupt ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez.
Monarez was dismissed last week after she reportedly refused to “act as a rubber stamp for his dangerous policies.” Her termination triggered resignations from several top CDC officials and prompted a staff walkout. The administration quickly installed Jim O’Neill, a Kennedy aide and biotech investor, as acting director of the CDC.
The White House defended the move, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that the president has the “authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission.” She added that President Donald Trump and Kennedy were “committed to restoring trust and transparency and credibility to the CDC by ensuring their leadership and their decisions are more public-facing, more accountable, strengthening our public health system and restoring it to its core mission of protecting Americans from communicable diseases, investing in innovation to prevent, detect and respond to future threats.”
Sanders, however, warned that Kennedy’s leadership poses a serious threat to science-based health policy. “Mr. Kennedy and the rest of the Trump administration tell us, over and over, that they want to Make America Healthy Again,” he wrote. “That’s a great slogan. I agree with it. The problem is that since coming into office President Trump and Mr. Kennedy have done exactly the opposite.”
In his essay, Sanders criticized Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism. “Despite the overwhelming opposition of the medical community, Secretary Kennedy has continued his long-standing crusade against vaccines and his advocacy of conspiracy theories that have been rejected repeatedly by scientific experts,” he said. “It is absurd to have to say this in 2025, but vaccines are safe and effective. That, of course, is not just my view. Far more important, it is the overwhelming consensus of the medical and scientific communities.”
Sanders pointed to guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the World Health Organization. He warned that Kennedy’s record—ranging from comments linking vaccines to autism to his opposition to Covid-19 immunizations—has already fueled mistrust. “The reality is that Secretary Kennedy has profited from and built a career on sowing mistrust in vaccines. Now, as head of HHS, he is using his authority to launch a full-blown war on science, on public health, and on truth itself,” he wrote.
The senator expressed concern that Kennedy’s policies could make it “harder for Americans to get lifesaving vaccines,” with Covid-19 immunizations already affected. “Covid is just the beginning. Mr. Kennedy’s next target may be the childhood immunization schedule, the list of recommended vaccines that children receive to protect them from diseases like measles, chickenpox. and polio,” Sanders said. He also highlighted Kennedy’s role in “defunding the research that could help us prepare for the next pandemic.”
The crisis comes on the heels of another major policy shift: the Trump administration’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Sanders, a long-time proponent of Medicare for All, argued that the law will deepen inequities in the nation’s healthcare system. “America’s healthcare system is already dysfunctional and wildly expensive, and yet the Trump administration will be throwing an estimated 15 million people off their health insurance through a cut of over $1 trillion to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act,” he wrote. “This cut is also expected to result in the closing of or the decline in services at hundreds of nursing homes, hospitals, and community health centers. As a result of cuts to the Affordable Care Act, health insurance costs will soar for millions of Americans. That is not Making America Healthy Again.”
Sanders’ demand for Kennedy’s resignation has reverberated through Washington. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor and the only Republican senator to vote against Kennedy’s confirmation in February, had previously warned about placing Kennedy in such a powerful position. The senator’s call has also drawn widespread reaction outside of Congress.
Doctors and journalists have been quick to support Sanders’ op-ed. Trauma surgeon Mark Hoofnagle said that “Bernie nails it.” Pennsylvania State University professor Christian Haines wrote on Bluesky that the piece was “clear and incisive, though I wish it didn’t need to be said.” Former New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse added: “It’s delusional for anyone to think that RFK Jr. and Donald Trump are making America healthy again. With Kennedy’s war against science, truth, and vaccines and Trump’s war against Medicaid, their movement should be called MAKING AMERICA UNHEALTHY AGAIN.”
The CDC upheaval has rattled the public health community, which is still rebuilding after years of pandemic-era strain. The removal of Monarez, who reportedly resisted political pressure to alter guidance, underscored fears that the nation’s leading health agency is being reshaped to conform to ideological agendas rather than scientific evidence. Her dismissal was quickly followed by the resignation of multiple senior officials, a rare public sign of dissent from career public health leaders who cited the administration’s weaponization of science.
Kennedy’s installation of Jim O’Neill, a longtime ally and biotech investor with no direct public health leadership experience, drew further criticism. Public health experts warned that putting political appointees with private industry ties at the helm of a science-driven agency risks undermining trust in its recommendations at a time when credibility is essential for vaccine uptake and preparedness.
Sanders’ letter to Chair Cassidy pressed for a bipartisan congressional probe into both the firing and the broader direction of health policy under the Trump administration. He has called for hearings that would compel testimony from Kennedy, Monarez, and the senior CDC officials who resigned. “The danger here is that diseases that have been virtually wiped out because of safe and effective vaccines will resurface and cause enormous harm,” Sanders cautioned.
The controversy also arrives as the administration moves to scale back federal investments in vaccine research. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the termination of $500 million in federal funding for mRNA vaccine development. The decision raised alarms among scientists who fear the country could be less prepared for future outbreaks if innovative platforms are defunded.
At the same time, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to remove millions from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs, raising further concerns about access to care. Analysts estimate that roughly 15 million people could lose health coverage, and hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers may face closures or service cuts. For Sanders and other critics, these policies collectively signal a dismantling of the public health infrastructure.
The clash over Kennedy’s role highlights a broader struggle in American health policy between evidence-based governance and politically motivated decision-making. With immunization schedules, vaccine availability, and healthcare coverage all in flux, the stakes extend beyond partisan battles in Washington to families across the country.
As the fallout from Monarez’s firing continues and calls for oversight mount, the central question remains whether Congress will act to investigate and whether the administration will shift course. For Sanders, the urgency is clear: the nation’s public health depends on it.
COMMENTS