Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family calls for his resignation

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sister and nephew called on the secretary to resign Friday after he questioned the safety of vaccination while testifying before a congressional committee.Why it matters: The resignation calls came hours before President Trump broke with Kennedy by encouraging the public to take vaccines, and a day after several Republican members of the committee questioned the secretary's fitness following the upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What they're saying: "Medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership," Kerry Kennedy, Kennedy's sister, posted on X on Friday."The decimation of critical institutions like the NIH and the CDC will lead to the loss of innocent lives. ...Enough is enough. Secretary Kennedy must resign," she wrote. Joe Kennedy III, a former U.S. congressman from Massachusetts and Kennedy's nephew, wrote on Friday that his uncle is "a threat to the health and well-being of every American.""The challenges before us — from disease outbreaks to mental health crises — demand moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact. Those values are not present in the Secretary's office. He must resign."Driving the news: The secretary faced bipartisan criticism for his anti-vaccine views and general mistrust of modern medicine on Thursday during an often fiery hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.Senators called the secretary's recent firing of CDC director Susan Monarez concerning, and questioned why Kennedy was sowing doubt about COVID vaccines, despite their efficacy and safety.The intrigue: Trump broke with his health secretary's anti-vaccine views on Friday, telling reporters that vaccines, "pure and simple," do work."I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people." Zoom out: Kennedy is no stranger to criticism from members of his famous family.During the 2024 election, roughly 50 Kennedys gathered with former President Joe Biden to show their support for the then-Democratic nominee after polls showed Kennedy's "spoiler" campaign for president could be eating into Biden's voter coalition.On a separate occasion, four of Kennedy's siblings condemned his presidential bid, posting in a joint statement that he "does not share the same values, vision or judgment" as their father, former Senator Robert F. Kennedy.Go deeper: RFK Jr.'s Senate hearing: COVID, CDC firings and more takeawaysEditor's note: This story has been updated with additional comments from Kerry Kennedy and President Trump.

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