HHS Secretary Kennedy Dismisses CDC Leadership in Sweeping Overhaul

Washington, D.C. — Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today announced the dismissal of the entire senior leadership team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The decision marks the most dramatic shake-up at the nation's top public health agency in its history and signals a sharp pivot in the Department of Health and Human Services’ relationship with federal health science institutions.

At a press briefing held at HHS headquarters, Secretary Kennedy stated that the firings were necessary due to what he described as the CDC leadership’s “obstructive integrity” and “politically motivated adherence to scientific facts and data.”

“These individuals have, time and again, placed institutional consensus above open debate,” Kennedy said. “We need a CDC that welcomes questioning, not one that shields itself with the armor of so-called settled science.”

In response to inquiries, HHS confirmed that acting leadership would be appointed from outside the agency while a nationwide search is conducted to “identify bold thinkers and independent scientists willing to challenge evidence-based medicine.”

Critics of the move, including several prominent public health figures and former federal officials, have called the dismissals unprecedented and potentially destabilizing. “This is not reform. This is decapitation,” said Dr. Elena Gutierrez, former CDC official under both Democratic and Republican administrations. “Removing experienced professionals en masse undermines continuity and weakens the nation’s ability to respond to health crises.”

Others see the decision as a fulfillment of Kennedy’s long-standing skepticism toward what he views as institutional groupthink within public health agencies. Since his appointment earlier this year, Kennedy has frequently clashed with career officials over vaccine policy, pandemic preparedness, and the role of corporate influence in health research.

As of press time, operations at the CDC remain ongoing under interim managers. Internal sources within the agency described the atmosphere as “tense but functional.” It remains unclear how the sudden leadership vacuum will affect ongoing initiatives, including the fall vaccine rollout and global outbreak monitoring programs.

A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment directly on the decision, but stated that the President “respects Secretary Kennedy’s authority to shape his department as he sees fit.”