Former surgeons general warning: RFK Jr. threatens nation’s health

The surgeon general’s warning is most commonly associated with cigarettes and the dangers of smoking.

Former surgeons general say Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is endangering the nation's health. From top left, Jerome Adams, Richard Carmona; Joycelyn Elders; Vivek Murthy; Antonia Novello; and David Satcher.

On Tuesday, six former surgeons general issued a different kind of warning. They came together to issue an unprecedented warning about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In an op-ed published Tuesday morning by The Washington Post, they warn that Kennedy’s actions “are endangering the health of the nation.”

The leaders have served under Democratic and Republican presidents. One of the six leaders, former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, served in President Trump’s first administration.

The surgeons general pointed to Kennedy’s changes in vaccine policy and say he is undermining public confidence in vaccine safety. They say he’s putting federal drug safety, medical research and emergency preparedness at risk. And they said Kennedy has driven top scientists and leaders out of federal health agencies.

“Never before have we issued a joint public warning like this. But the profound, immediate and unprecedented threat that Kennedy’s policies and positions pose to the nation’s health cannot be ignored,” they wrote.

While they strongly condemn Kennedy’s leadership and his actions as health secretary, they never explicitly call for his resignation or his firing by Trump.

Democratic lawmakers have called for Kennedy’s resignation, following the swift firing of former CDC DIrector Susan Monarez less than a month after winning Senate confirmation. Monarez told a Senate hearing that she was fired for refusing to fire top staffers or sign off on blanket changes in vaccine policy without seeing scientific evidence. Kennedy said she was fired because she wasn’t trustworthy and aligned with the Trump administration’s goals.

Trump has stood by Kennedy, repeatedly offering his support. He hosted Kennedy in the White House in a heavily criticized appearance where they said pregnant women should not take Tylenol to reduce the risk of autism in their children. Trump also suggested links between vaccines and autism.

The surgeons general pointed to the health department’s proposed warnings on Tylenol and other products with acetaminophen as especially problematic. They also said Kennedy has ignored science and is misleading the public when it comes to health guidance.

“Rather than combating the rapid spread of health misinformation with facts and clarity, Kennedy is amplifying it. The consequences aren’t abstract. They are measured in lives lost, disease outbreaks and an erosion of public trust that will take years to rebuild,” they wrote.

They also criticize Kennedy for de-emphasizing vaccination in the worst measles outbreak in 30 years, and argue that the consequences have been stark, including “three preventable deaths and the first measles-related child death in the U.S. in over two decades,” they wrote.

The surgeons general also denounced Kennedy’s firing of every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, replacing the members with unqualified members, including some who are “vaccine conspiracy theorists.”

Some of the most pointed criticism in the op-ed centered on Kennedy’s “discrediting” of vaccines, including the cancellation of $500 million in mRNA vaccine research projects.

They also pointed to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine under President Trump.

“Secretary Kennedy is entitled to his views,” they wrote. “But he is not entitled to put people’s health at risk. He has rejected science, misled the public and compromised the health of Americans.”

Kennedy has faced growing calls to resign or for Trump to fire him. Democratic lawmakers have urged the president to oust Kennedy, and 50 medical societies have also called for his resignation.

While some Republican lawmakers have criticized Kennedy’s vaccine policies, no Republican lawmakers have called for Kennedy to step down. And Trump has given no indication he’ll make a change.

Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Health Department, told Axios, “We remain committed to restoring trust, reforming broken health systems, and ensuring that every American has access to real choice in their health care.”

In addition to Adams, the other surgeons general who co-wrote the op-ed are Richard Carmona; Joycelyn Elders; Vivek Murthy; Antonia Novello; and David Satcher.