U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing new opposition from Michigan’s U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, as the congresswoman on Thursday filed articles of impeachment over what she called dangerous cuts to medical research.
Stevens (D-Brimingham) also cited the increased cost to health care under RFK Jr.’s short time as secretary, abuses of power and ongoing threats to public health. The congresswoman previously asked Kennedy to resign, but is now trying to force his ouster through articles of impeachment.
“RFK Jr. is making our country less safe and making healthcare less affordable and accessible for Michiganders,” Stevens said in a news release. “His contempt for science, the constant spreading of conspiracy theories, and his complete disregard for the thousands of research hours spent by America’s top doctors and experts is unprecedented, reckless, and dangerous. Enough is enough – we need leaders who put science over chaos, facts over lies, and people over politics.”
The cuts in question center around cancer research, as well as sudden infant death syndrome and studies on combating addiction.Kennedy’s restriction of vaccine access was another point of contention, and his spreading of “absurd conspiracies” that have put people’s lives in danger, Stevens said.
The secretary is also being accused of lying in his confirmation hearings over promises he made during those proceedings that have not been upheld. The chief promise Stevens cited was his pledge to not break up the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine panel of independent experts.
While the filing has little chance of passing the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, Stevens said she believes Kennedy has failed to carry out his statutory duties in administering the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Stevens is among several Democrats seeking the nomination to run for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat next year. Also running are state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed and research health specialist Rachel Howard.