Members of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s family are breaking their silence and publicly speaking out against him after his fiery Senate hearing last week. The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to answer for a series of sudden and controversial changes in his department.
Among them were the firing of CDC director Susan Monarez after less than a month on the job, new limits on vaccine access, and the cancellation of millions of dollars in mRNA research funding.
During the combative hearing, Kennedy claimed that the United States is the “sickest country in the world,” a statement that both Republicans and Democrats on the committee quickly challenged. His comments and recent decisions have now intensified a rift in one of America’s most famous political families, with several of his relatives openly calling for his resignation.
Kerry Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s sister, posted a statement on X urging him to step down immediately. “The first smallpox vaccine was developed in 1796. Since then, countless vaccines have been developed and saved millions of lives. Vaccines work.
This is not up for debate,” she wrote. She warned that dismantling key health agencies like the CDC and NIH would cost lives and said such decisions should remain in the hands of medical experts, not politicians. Her message ended with a blunt demand: “I stand with the many courageous individuals in the medical and scientific communities who have had to set aside their vital work to speak truth to power to keep the public safe. Enough is enough. Secretary Kennedy must resign. Now.”
Her call was quickly echoed by Joe Kennedy III, RFK Jr.’s nephew, who also posted a statement on X. “Robert Kennedy Jr. is a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American.
A United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is tasked with protecting the public health of our country and its people,” he wrote. “At yesterday’s hearing, he chose to do the opposite: to dismiss science, mislead the public, sideline experts and sow confusion.” Joe Kennedy concluded that his uncle had failed to show “moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact” and should therefore resign.
The pushback from the family did not stop there. Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, reposted Joe’s statement with his own harsh commentary. “Better late than never! I couldn’t agree more — RFK LOSER IS A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH and AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP. WHO PLEASURES HIMSELF by lying to Congress,” he wrote, underlining the deep frustration inside the Kennedy family.
For decades, the Kennedy name has been tied to politics, public service, and healthcare advocacy. The family’s willingness to openly turn against one of their own underscores how deeply concerned they are about RFK Jr.’s actions as head of HHS. His decisions at the agency have already rattled Washington, but now the very family legacy he often invokes is being used against him. That public rebuke makes his future in the role even more uncertain.