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2h ago

HHS Workers Press RFK Jr. to Protect Staff After CDC Shooting and Disavow False Health Claims

Staff link the CDC shooting to hostile vaccine rhetoric, pressing for urgent security reforms.

Community members pay their respects to David Rose, a police officer killed on August 8 as a gunman was shooting at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bullet holes are seen in windows at the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Global Headquarters following a shooting that left two dead, on August 9, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks during a press conference as new actions on the opioid 7-OH compound are announced, at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Police respond to the active shooter incident at CDC headquarters on Aug. 8. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Overview

  • More than 750 current and former HHS employees sent a letter urging Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to guarantee worker safety, with signatories including former CDC leader Anne Schuchat.
  • The letter seeks action by September 2 to strengthen emergency procedures and alerts and to remove online targeting of employees, including so‑called DEI watchlists.
  • Signatories call on Kennedy to publicly reject misleading claims about vaccines and disease transmission and to affirm the CDC’s nonpartisan scientific integrity.
  • Nearly 400 current staffers signed, many anonymously citing fear of retaliation, and the letter was also sent to Congress and the White House.
  • Georgia investigators say the Aug. 8 attacker fired nearly 200 rounds across six CDC buildings, killed Officer David Rose, and left writings critical of COVID‑19 vaccines; the CDC has since tightened security, expanded remote work, and removed vehicle identifiers.