What Will It Take to Oust Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?

It’s hard to overstate the damage that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has done to the public health infrastructure of the United States in his first year as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. An exhaustive list of these crimes could—and likely will—fill books. Though he promised otherwise in his confirmation hearings, Kennedy has decimated the country’s vaccine and public health infrastructure. Last June, amid a historic measles outbreak that he has consistently downplayed, Kennedy abruptly fired all 17 expert members from the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, days before the panel was set to meet, only to stack it with vaccine skeptics largely without expertise in the subject matter. He went on to restrict access to vaccines for Covid-19 and other diseases.Under his leadership, HHS has cut millions of dollars from mRNA vaccine research. He has also defunded research into cancer, a bird flu vaccine, and future pandemic threats. He has spread misinformation and stigma about autism and reduced the number of childhood vaccine recommendations from 17 to 11. He tried to conduct a highly unethical study in Guinea-Bissau that would put the tiny country’s population—which has among the highest rates of hepatitis B in the world—at a much higher risk of contracting the disease.This has all come atop the substantial misrule of the Trump administration: historic cuts to Medicaid, SNAP food benefits, and the CDC and National Institutes of Health; everywhere, staff numbers have been slashed and chaos has been sown. The Trump administration’s halt of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs has also hit HHS, with research studies examining how race, ethnicity, and gender can play a role in medical outcomes now on ice. This is part and parcel with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which ignores social determinants of health care while maintaining that good health is purely a matter of individual responsibility. (Somehow, that bonkers video he did with Kid Rock at the gym and sauna is also pertinent.) These actions have taken center stage over the past week as Kennedy has testified before Congress about the 2027 budget, which threatens to further hack funding for NIH and other agencies—in addition to the implementation of the largest Medicaid cuts in history and massive rate hikes to marketplace plans. In this week’s hearings, lawmakers have been eager to grill Kennedy about his role in the measles outbreak and his promotion of anti-vaccine policies and sentiment, his cuts to research and health funding, including to gender-affirming care, and the misinformation he’s spread—for example, that taking Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in babies. Though the vast majority of interrogation and criticism has come from Democrats, some Republicans have also had some tepid, measured words of criticism for Kennedy.For the most part, Kennedy has used these fora to double down. He’s denied his role in the measles outbreak, repeated debunked conspiracy theories, and defended President Donald Trump. But Kennedy’s speaking tour is set to continue after the hearings conclude, at least for those who plan on tuning in to his new podcast.Much of the heated rhetoric coming out of these hearings has only echoed previous condemnations of Kennedy by members of Congress—both from his initial confirmation hearings and from when he was brought in for similar questioning in September 2025. It’s been a banner week for those who traffic in anti-Kennedy sound bites. But the larger question remains: Beyond the occasional public upbraiding, can anything be done to stop him? Much of the advocacy resisting Kennedy has come from medical and science experts, who have published ample research correcting Kennedy’s misinformation and pushed for the restoration of health care and science funding. Numerous coalitions, such as Defend Public Health and Stand Up for Science, have arisen to push back against Kennedy and the harms his policies are causing. Projects like the Vaccine Integrity Project have emerged to present a united front of medically based, scientific vaccine recommendations to counter the chaos at CDC. Bruce Mirken, a spokesperson for Defend Public Health, a broad coalition made up of health and public health experts, which formed in the wake of Trump’s reelection, explained that the organization’s first efforts focused on stopping Kennedy’s confirmation. Since that effort fell short, the coalition, in network with other organizations, has tried to curb the damage of his policies using various tactics, from letter writing to protests to filing amicus briefs in support of court cases.