A group of senior leaders who recently resigned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared strong criticisms regarding environmental actions taken by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former President Trump.
“The CDC is home to many exceptional scientists and experts, and if Secretary Kennedy views it as troubled, then perhaps we’re just reflecting that back to him,” one leader remarked while speaking to CNN.
“There’s a blatant disregard for experts—a clear implication that they should not be trusted. This mindset undermines what the CDC stands for as a hub of scientific knowledge,” he expressed to the show’s host, Kaitlan Collins.
Daskarakis, who left his position shortly after the CDC’s director, Susan Monares, was dismissed, emphasized the advances made by government agencies post-COVID-19. However, he remarked, “That progress is being undone by Secretary Kennedy, and honestly, I’m uncertain about what his vision entails.”
“He refers to it as a vision for public health, but it remains ambiguous—it’s hard to grasp what that really means,” he continued.
Joining Daskarakis on the show were former CDC official Debra Houry and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Daniel Jernigan, both of whom submitted their resignation letters on the same day.
The White House and Kennedy defended the firing of Monares, with Kennedy stating that her policies didn’t align with the administration’s goals. “I can’t really discuss HR issues, but things are complicated, and we’re working to resolve them. Some people could find themselves leaving,” he remarked in an interview with “Fox & Friends.”
The recent changes at the CDC, including the appointment of Deputy Chief Jim O’Neill, have sparked bipartisan concern, prompting inquiries from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and pressure from Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to delay future meetings of the CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee following a leadership shakeup.
Houry also criticized Kennedy in her interview. “He promotes vitamins and prevention, which can be supplementary, but we need to emphasize that vaccine-based prevention is paramount,” she stated. “It’s problematic when he takes our information and spins it in his own way,” she added.
Daskarakis was particularly vocal, telling Collins that the CDC operates without bias and accusing Kennedy’s supporters of introducing “ideology that distorts scientific truth.”
“We have evidence pointing to this change. What’s concerning is how decisions are being made and how data is being adjusted to fit those decisions,” he concluded.
