A leading healthcare advocacy group is seeking a US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr He stepped down after downplaying the dangers of Covid-19, saying: “I’m not afraid of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off toilet seats.”
Kennedy, despite his oath, was appointed secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Anti-vaccine activismdid so comment On the 12 February episode of Theo Vaughn’s podcast This Past Weekend.
Brad Woodhouse, President of Protect Our Care, Issued A one-word statement on Kennedy’s comments: “Resign.”
Kennedy’s comment about cocaine — recently implicated in nearly 30,000 overdose deaths in the US by 2023 — “continues to lay bare why he is the most dangerous … man to lead such an important federal agency,” the group added.
In the podcast Kennedy mentioned his constant attendance at in-person recovery meetings during the pandemic. Kennedy, who has been open about past struggles with drug addiction, said, “If I didn’t do that, if I didn’t get treatment, going to meetings every day would be bad for my life.”
The comment marked another controversial moment for Kennedy in Donald Trump’s first year as White House health secretary. He also faced criticism for the way he handled the US Measles A disease that was declared eradicated from the country in 2000 has killed several people.
In the midst of that outbreak, Kennedy portrayed measles vaccination — long proven safe — as a personal choice rather than a universal necessity, instead encouraging fake treatments.
There are also concerns that the Health Secretary’s new dietary guidelines will lead to health problems as he emphasizes meat and dairy. Critics criticize the push for a meat-heavy diet environmentforests were destroyed to make way for agricultural land.
Meanwhile, public confidence in Kennedy and the American healthcare system plummeted.
Recent KFF Pol “The majority of the public has decided to continue to refuse [Kennedy’s] such as performance [health] Secretary and His Handling of US Vaccine Policy”.
Democratic Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado criticized Kennedy’s tenure in a post on X, That said: “Public health will not survive another year of this.”
Asked for comment, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said: “Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS is using its full authority to deliver results to the American people.”
“In 2025, the Department tackled long-term public health challenges with transparency, courage and gold-standard science … HHS will carry this momentum into 2026 to strengthen accountability, put patients first and protect public health,” he said.
