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Rep. Ami Bera calls for Kennedy’s resignation
“Your actions have eroded public trust and actively endangered lives. We demand your resignation to safeguard the health and safety of our communities,” the letter wrote.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 05, Sep 2025
- 13:06 EDT
- 21
Ami Bera / X (Ami Bera)
Indian American Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) demanded the resignation of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of undermining evidence-based vaccine policy and jeopardizing public health.
In a letter to Kennedy on Sept. 4, Bera and members of the Democratic Doctors Caucus underlined that his tenure at HHS has “followed an escalating pattern of eroding scientific integrity and undermining established, evidence-based recommendations and policy.”
Also Read: Jenifer Rajkumar moves to make vaccines accessible in NY
“During your confirmation hearings, you pledged to follow the science on vaccines,” the lawmakers wrote. “Yet in the months since, your actions have repeatedly contradicted that pledge despite opposition from the scientific and medical community. The culmination of this reckless behavior was last week’s firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez for defending evidence-based vaccine standards. These decisions threaten American lives and public trust.”
RFK Jr. pledged to follow the science on vaccines.
— Ami Bera, M.D. (@RepBera) September 4, 2025
His actions as HHS Secretary have repeatedly contradicted that pledge— putting the health of every American at risk.
He must resign. pic.twitter.com/TDItjqbIH4
The lawmakers also condemned Kennedy’s decision to dismiss all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group long considered the gold standard for vaccine policy, and replace them with vaccine skeptics.
“Such actions risk undermining decades of validated public health guidance, including the childhood immunization schedule and hepatitis B vaccination for newborns,” they warned.
The letter further raised concerns over Kennedy’s moves to cut funding for mRNA vaccine development and to issue CDC guidance “not grounded in scientific data or expert input.”
“As physicians and Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned that your tenure at HHS undermines the core mission of the Department: to protect and promote the health of the American people,” the letter concludes. “Your actions have eroded public trust and actively endangered lives. We demand your resignation to safeguard the health and safety of our communities.”
The letter adds to a growing backlash against Kennedy’s leadership. More than 1,000 current and former HHS employees have signed letters urging his resignation, while over 20 leading medical and public health associations have condemned his actions. Former CDC officials have also spoken out, with one warning the agency under Kennedy “only sees harm” in its future trajectory.
The democratic Doctors Caucus includes Representatives Herbert Conaway (D-NJ), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Kelly Morrison (D-MI), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), and Kim Schrier (D-WA) alongwith Bera.
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