CDC Under Kennedy Faces Exodus of Experts, Erosion of Public Trust

Former CDC employees describe the agency's descent into 'medical woo-woo' under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Mar. 25, 2026 at 6:53pm

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A New York Times Magazine report details the damage that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has inflicted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since being appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2025. Under Kennedy's leadership, at least 2,400 CDC employees have been fired or resigned, the agency's communications have been censored, and its international cooperation and disease surveillance efforts have been severely undermined.

Why it matters

The CDC has historically been one of the world's most respected and effective public health organizations. Kennedy's takeover and dismantling of the agency threatens to undermine its critical role in protecting public health, responding to disease outbreaks, and collaborating globally to address emerging threats.

The details

Since his confirmation in February 2025, Kennedy has called the CDC 'the most corrupt agency at H.H.S. and maybe the government' and has overseen mass terminations of CDC staff. He has claimed the agency had grown 'unwieldy' and that its size was undermining its mission, citing its 'failures' during the COVID-19 pandemic. The carnage began with attacks on the CDC's information-gathering and communications, including censoring a report on cervical cancer prevention. Kennedy has also dismantled the agency's international cooperation and disease surveillance efforts, withdrawing from the WHO and cutting funding for malaria research.

  • In February 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  • Since January 2025, at least 2,400 CDC employees, or 18% of the staff, have been fired or resigned.

The players

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services who has led the dismantling of the CDC since his confirmation in 2025.

Jeneen Interlandi

The New York Times Magazine reporter who authored the in-depth report on the damage done to the CDC under Kennedy's leadership.

Daniel Jernigan

A former director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC.

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What they’re saying

“They took control of all our communications. There was a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that came out on February 27 on cervical cancer trends. In response to a standard question from a reporter, one author said that one of the best ways to prevent cervical cancer is to get the HPV vaccine. And HHS edited it, adding a message to the effect of 'vaccines are a matter of choice, and you should talk to your doctor,' attributing it to the scientist without telling her.”

— Unnamed epidemiologist

“There was no understanding of the connectivities between the U.S. government and W.H.O. There was magical thinking that you could build a bilateral set of relationships that would take care of what W.H.O. is doing. For flu, we had 57 different bilateral cooperative agreements with countries. But to make things happen, we went through W.H.O., because they have the ability to bring people together. Without W.H.O. involved, there's an uncertainty among some nations about whether or not to work with the United States at all.”

— Daniel Jernigan, Former director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC

What’s next

The New York Times Magazine report has sparked widespread concern about the future of the CDC and its ability to effectively protect public health. Lawmakers and public health experts are calling for investigations into the agency's deterioration under Kennedy's leadership and efforts to restore its independence and scientific integrity.

The takeaway

The dismantling of the CDC under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. represents a profound threat to the nation's public health infrastructure and global health security. The exodus of experts and erosion of public trust in the agency could have devastating consequences, undermining its critical role in disease prevention, outbreak response, and international cooperation.