During a recent meeting with Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough questions regarding his intentions to dismiss federal employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) if he assumes leadership of the agency. This inquiry comes in the wake of concerns raised over the Trump administration's previous actions of removing federal workers.
Kennedy has expressed his desire to replace 600 employees from the National Institutes of Health and, as revealed by Warner, he aims to terminate 2,200 federal workers at HHS. When pressed to assure that employees working on critical areas such as food safety and cybersecurity in healthcare would not be fired, Kennedy avoided a direct response but stated that he would not dismiss individuals who are fulfilling their job responsibilities.
Warner further probed Kennedy on the basis for his decisions, questioning whether they would be influenced by personal opinion, political motives, or directives from President Donald Trump. Kennedy asserted that his actions would be guided by his own judgment.
Moreover, Kennedy declined to commit to maintaining grant funding for community health centers, amidst uncertainties stemming from the Trump administration's recent pause on federal aid. Instead, he referenced the White House's assurance that no American would be denied benefits from any program due to funding restrictions.
As Kennedy's nomination to lead the HHS progresses, his responses to these inquiries have raised concerns and sparked discussions about the potential impact of his leadership on federal employees and healthcare programs.
