Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came under fire after his continued attacks on vaccine policy led to the ouster of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, head Dr. Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Several veteran CDC officials resigned in the wake of Monarez’s firing, while over 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed onto a letter calling on Kennedy to resign, accusing the secretary of mishandling the agency and endangering American lives.
Then, last Thursday, Kennedy was brought before the Senate Finance Committee, where legislators from both sides of the political aisle grilled the secretary over his anti-vaccine agenda. The hearing resulted in further backlash, as Kennedy refused to budge on his unfounded claims that vaccines harm Americans.
Now, even more prominent figures are calling for Kennedy’s resignation or removal, including former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams–who served during the first Trump administration–and members of Kennedy’s own family.
However, despite this mounting pressure, two U.S. senators say they remain supportive of Kennedy and his controversial agenda: Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt.
Both Tuberville and Britt were outspoken supporters of Kennedy when he first sought confirmation to become Health and Human Services secretary earlier this year at the onset of the second Trump administration. In recent statements provided to APR, both senators reaffirmed that support.
“Senator Tuberville was proud to support Secretary Kennedy during his confirmation hearings and is 100 percent supportive of the great work he is doing to Make America Healthy Again now,” Tuberville’s office said in a written statement to APR late last week.
A spokesperson for Senator Britt provided a similar statement: “Senator Britt supports Secretary Kennedy and President Trump’s mission to Make America Healthy Again. The public’s trust in the CDC was significantly eroded after COVID — and with good reason. Senator Britt shares President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s goal to restore public confidence in our health care system and ensure the American people to have the very best science to make informed decisions.”
Although Alabama’s senators continue to support Kennedy, the same may not be true for their constituents, as more Americans currently disapprove than approve of the health secretary’s job performance. Additionally, a recent poll found that only a quarter of Americans at least “somewhat trust” Kennedy’s medical advice, while nearly 50 percent expressed outright distrust of the secretary.
Even so, it appears unlikely that Trump will answer the calls to fire Kennedy from his post at HHS. Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance praised Kennedy’s combative display at last week’s Senate hearing, and the president has made no indication that he is in any way dissatisfied with the health secretary’s job performance.
