August 21, 2025
Kennedy once bad-mouthed the CDC, referring to the agency as a “cesspool of corruption” in a post on X.
Over 750 employees working for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) signed a letter and sent it to members of Congress and their leader, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., warning him to stop spreading misinformation, ABC News reports.
The letter comes after the tragic shooting that took place at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in early August 2025 after a gunman alleged the COVID-19 vaccine, which Kennedy once called “the deadliest vaccine ever made,” made him have violent thoughts. Employees are refusing to let it go, labeling the shooting as “not random” and driven by “politicized rhetoric.”
Data revealed that COVID-19 vaccines saved over 2.5 million lives.
All parties who signed that letter pointed the finger at Kennedy, accusing him of endangering the lives of HHS employees by spreading false information and labeled him as being “complicit in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure” and “repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information.”
“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,” staffers wrote, according to CNN.
Employees obtained receipts to support their theories.
Numerous examples pointed back to social media posts in which Kennedy bad-mouthed the CDC, once referring to the agency as a “cesspool of corruption” in a post on X.
“I’ll hold responsible those who lied or concealed critical health information, including the crooked individual who ordered the destruction of this myocarditis data,” the post read.
Several staffers signed the letter anonymously out of fear of retribution and safety concerns, but with growing frustration, one staffer said she could no longer remain silent. “As part of my oath as a public health professional to stay true to the science and help people, it just felt like I needed to speak up in some way,” the staffer said.
Dr. Shiv Prasad, a scientific review officer at the National Institutes of Health, decided to sign the letter head-on, saying the misinformation makes them targets. “Like my colleagues at the CDC, I am concerned about several things. One is the misinformation that’s being spread, especially concerning vaccines and COVID-19, and it has a way of vilifying federal workers who are working every day to ensure the health of Americans,” Prasad wrote.
“I’m concerned about the safety of HHS workers … I think we are all potential targets now.”
Of course, in a statement, HHS supported Kennedy, pushing the narrative that his visit to the CDC after the shooting proves he stands with the employees. “Secretary Kennedy is standing firmly with CDC employees — both on the ground and across every center — ensuring their safety and well-being remain a top priority. In the wake of this heartbreaking shooting, he traveled to Atlanta to offer his support and reaffirm his deep respect, calling the CDC ‘a shining star among global health agencies,’” the statement read.
“For the first time in its 70-year history, the mission of HHS is truly resonating with the American people — driven by President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s bold commitment to Make America Healthy Again. Any attempt to conflate widely supported public health reforms with the violence of a suicidal mass shooter is an attempt to politicize a tragedy.”
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