HHS' letter cites instances of Kennedy criticizing CDC staff and spreading misinformation about vaccines.
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Tensions are growing at the CDC.

On August 8, a gunman fired nearly 200 shots at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.¹ According to authorities, the shooter’s motivation was a desire to send a message against COVID-19 vaccines. During the attack, the shooter killed a police officer and then turned the gun on himself.

What did the HHS staff criticize RFK Jr. for?

This shocking and terrifying incident prompted HHS staff members to publicly release a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in which they blame the shooting on a growing mistrust of public health institutions.² The letter continues to say that Robert F. Kennedy is “complicit” in the problem due to his spreading of “inaccurate health information.”

The letter begins, “The attack came amid growing mistrust in public institutions, driven by politicized rhetoric that has turned public health professionals from trusted experts into targets of villainization—and now, violence. CDC is a public health leader in America's defense against health threats at home and abroad. When a federal health agency is under attack, America’s health is under attack. When the federal workforce is not safe, America is not safe. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is complicit in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure and endangering the nation’s health by repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information…”

Following this, the letter contains a list of actions or statements carried out by Kennedy that HHS staff says are dangerous and deceitful, including:

• Referring to the CDC as a “cesspool of corruption.”
• Terminating CDC workers and creating gaps in areas like injury and violence prevention.
• Falsely claiming that mRNA vaccines failed to effectively protect the population.
• Further spreading misinformation about the testing and safety of mRNA vaccines.

HHS staff then asks Kennedy to do three things: stop spreading inaccurate health information, affirm the CDC’s scientific integrity, and guarantee the safety of the HHS workforce.

While Kennedy has yet to respond, a new report says that at least 600 employees at the CDC will be permanently laid off.³ Notices of the layoffs were issued earlier this week, but not every employee may have received them yet. These layoffs come after a recent court ruling that protected some CDC employees from layoffs, but allowed for others to be let go. These layoffs appear to be part of a larger plan by the current administration to significantly reduce the staff at various federal health agencies.

Vaccines have become a political lightning rod in recent years. During the COVID 19 pandemic, the Trump administration launched operation warp speed and worked with various pharma companies to produce vaccines against the virus at an enhanced pace. This did not reduce any of the necessary safety testing, and health experts generally agree that the COVID vaccines are safe and effective.

However, anti-vax groups used this shortened timeline, along with the use of mRNA technology to develop the vaccines, to push distrust amongst the public. Kennedy, while he denies being anti-vax, described the COVID vaccines as the deadliest vaccine ever made. Prior to stepping into his current role, he’s also claimed that vaccines cause autism.

As HHS Secretary, Kennedy cut nearly $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine research. While he says that the decision was made after looking at the science, health experts have heavily criticized this decision, with one referring to it as one of the worst public health decisions made in decades.

Sources

1. Shooter attacked CDC headquarters to protest COVID-19 vaccines, authorities say. PBS. August 12, 2025. Accessed August 21, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/shooter-attacked-cdc-headquarters-to-protest-covid-19-vaccines-authorities-say
2. HHS Staff Response to the August 8th Attack. HHS. August 20, 2025. https://www.savehhs.org/letter/hhs-staff-response-to-the-august-8th-attack
3. At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says. CNN. August 21, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/21/health/cdc-termination-notes