RFK Jr.’s sister, nephew call for him to resign from HHS

Kerry Kennedy, sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has joined her nephew, former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, calling on her brother to resign as President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services. “Medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership,” Kerry Kennedy wrote on social media Friday. “The decimation of critical institutions, like the [National Institutes of Health] and the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], will lead to the loss of innocent lives. This means that children, mothers, fathers, and those you love are at risk now like never before.” Advertisement “Enough is enough,” continued Kerry Kennedy, who is president of a human rights advocacy group named after her father. “Secretary Kennedy must resign. Now.” Joseph P. Kennedy III was equally blunt in is social media post. “The challenges before use — from disease outbreaks to mental health crises — demand moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact,” the former four-term congressman wrote. “Those values are not present in the Secretary’s office.” Advertisement Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparred with Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike at a contentious three-hour hearing of the Senate finance committee on Thursday. Several senators accused him of limiting access to the vaccines and breaking promises he made during his confirmation process. Kennedy is the son of the late Democratic New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Critics charge that Kennedy has sought to intentionally limit access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued an order earlier this week to ensure that Covid boosters remain available. But in other states, the shots are no longer offered at pharmacies or covered by insurance. “None of us will be spared the pain he is inflicting,” wrote Joe Kennedy in his post. “It doesn’t matter how rich or powerful you are or what state you live in — the heartbreak of watching a loved one fall ill knows no borders.” Other New England Democrats have also sharply criticized Robert Kennedy’s leadership. At Thursday’s hearing, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren challenged Kennedy’s decision to fire the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan, also on the committee, had similarly testy exchanges with Kennedy on Thursday. Joe and Kerry Kennedy are not the only family members to publicly slam their relative in the aftermath of Thursday’s hearing. Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, has also been critical of his cousin Robert Kennedy Jr. in the past. On Thursday, Schlossberg suggested on social media that his cousin gave a poor performance at Thursday’s hearing — in his own characteristically irreverent way. “RFK LOSER is choking so badly LIVE,” he wrote.