• Posted October 7, 2025

Six Surgeons General Fire Editorial Grenade at RFK Jr.

In a blistering opinion piece published Tuesday in The Washington Post, six former U.S. surgeons general said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is putting the nation’s health at risk.

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

The piece is signed by doctors Jerome Adams, Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Vivek Murthy, Antonia Novello and David Satcher. The authors were appointed by every Republican and Democratic president since George H.W. Bush.

"Over recent months, we have watched with increasing alarm as the foundations of our nation’s public health system have been undermined," they wrote, adding that morale in U.S. health agencies has plummeted and talent is fleeing because science and expertise have taken a backseat to ideology and misinformation.

At the same time, they warned that threats posed by resurgent infectious diseases and worsening chronic illnesses pose growing threats.

"Repairing this damage requires a leader who respects scientific integrity and transparency, listens to experts and can restore trust to the federal health apparatus," they wrote. "Instead, Kennedy has become a driving force behind this crisis."

They pointed to Kennedy’s history of spreading discredited claims about vaccines and misrepresentation about the safety of mRNA technology and COVID vaccines, despite their lifesaving impact during the pandemic. 

The commentary also noted that earlier this year, during the nation’s worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, he directed agency resources toward unproven vitamin therapies and de-emphasized vaccination. 

"Discrediting vaccines undermines one of the most important public health tools in American history," the former health chiefs wrote. 

"Yet Kennedy continues to ignore science and the public’s wishes," they added, noting he most recently proposed new warning labels on products containing acetaminophen. In so doing, Kennedy cited a discredited link between its use during pregnancy and autism, they said.

"Rather than combating the rapid spread of health misinformation with facts and clarity, Kennedy is amplifying it," the commentary said. "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."

The former surgeon generals pointed to the exodus — both forced and voluntary — of hundreds of public health professionals, who describe "a culture of intimidation, where scientific findings are censored, evidence is disregarded and career officials are pressured to rubber stamp conclusions that are not backed by science."

They urged Americans to consider what is at risk: 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) pursues groundbreaking research. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leads in emergencies, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) holds Big Pharma to account and approves lifesaving drugs. HHS agencies work to address issues with substance use disorders, mental health and primary care shortages, as well health coverage for millions of disabled individuals, seniors and low-income Americans, they wrote.

"Secretary Kennedy is entitled to his views," the former chiefs 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. The nation deserves a health and human services secretary who is committed to scientific integrity and can restore morale and trust in our public health agencies."

Early reaction on The Post’s website to the commentary was generally supportive.

"Thank you to the six Surgeons General for speaking out," wrote reader Ken Olsh, who identified himself as a physician. 

"Pretty powerful stuff," wrote another reader, identified as TheLast Moderate. 

Added another, using the handle Franklyspeaking: "I agree completely with this letters. Like others I ask what can we do about this nightmare of 'leadership'. He’s got to go. How can we make it happen?"

More information

Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. secretary of health and human services.

SOURCE: The Washington Post, Oct. 7, 2025