FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 10, 2025
Media Contact:
pr@aafp.org
In February, the nation – and particularly, the health care community – listened to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., commit to preserving Americans’ access to vaccines and protecting the nation’s scientific and public health infrastructure. We, like so many others, hoped that the legions of career public health professionals who valued evidence and science would be able to educate the Secretary and his team, thus safeguarding our nation’s public health infrastructure and preserving public confidence in the work of these important institutions. Under the Secretary’s leadership, key public health protections have been weakened, and the immunization review process is devoid of experts and evidence.
The Secretary’s consistent pattern of circumventing process and ignoring or downplaying scientific evidence is undermining the ability of any member of the Health and Human Services department to operate effectively. His own conflicts of interest and inability to see the conflicts of those in his inner circle further undermine his credibility and that of his entire department.
Today, we are in an environment where HHS and its leaders are fostering confusion, chaos and conspiracies. As a result, we are seeing an alarming decline in confidence among the American public. According to the Pew Trust, confidence in HHS is now below 50% - an astonishing 8-point drop in 8 months and a 20-point drop over the past decade.
The pattern of behavior demonstrated by Secretary Kennedy and his recent testimony have led to declining confidence among the American people in HHS’s ability to provide clear, concise and evidence-based direction on important public health issues. The American Academy of Family Physicians has no choice but to call for action. Our call is not driven by politics or partisanship but rather by our deep commitment to the health and wellness of the patients we serve. We urge the President to continue prioritizing the health and safety of the American people by re-evaluating Secretary Kennedy’s ability to serve in his current capacity. Similarly, we call on Congress to strengthen its oversight and protect the health of the American people.
America’s health depends on swift and decisive action.
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About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is the largest national association of family physicians, representing 128,300 physicians and medical students. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on impactful care for people of all ages, races and genders across all medical conditions. The AAFP supports every stage of a family physician's career and provides evidence-based resources, advocacy and community to empower family medicine. To learn more, visit aafp.org. For information about health care, medical conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s patient education website, familydoctor.org.