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Members of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s family are calling for him to step down as health secretary following a contentious congressional hearing this past week, during which the Trump Cabinet official faced bipartisan questioning about his tumultuous leadership of\u00a0federal health agencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kennedy\u2019s sister, Kerry Kennedy, and his nephew, Joseph P. Kennedy III, issued scathing statements Friday, calling for him to resign as head of the Health and Human Services Department.<\/p>\n The calls from the prominent Democratic family came a day after Kennedy had to defend his recent efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and fire high-level officials at the Centers for Disease Control at a three-hour Senate hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr. is a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American,\u201d Joseph P. Kennedy III said in a post on X<\/a>. The former congressman added: \u201cNone of us will be spared the pain he is inflicting.\u201d His aunt echoed those claims, saying \u201cmedical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n This is not the first time Kennedy has been the subject of his family\u2019s ire. Several of his relatives had objected to his presidential run in the last campaign, while others wrote to senators earlier this year, calling for them to reject his nomination to be Trump\u2019s health secretary due to views they considered disqualifying on life-saving vaccines.<\/p>\n Kennedy, a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, has spent the last seven months implementing his once-niche, grassroots movement to the highest level of America\u2019s public health system. The sweeping changes to the agencies tasked with public health policy and scientific research have resulted in thousands of layoffs and the remaking of vaccine guidelines.<\/p>\n The moves \u2014 some of which contradict assurances he made during his\u00a0confirmation hearings<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 have rattled\u00a0medical groups<\/a>and officials in several Democratic-led states, which have responded with their own\u00a0vaccine advice<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFortune Global Forum<\/strong> returns Oct. 26\u201327, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n